EFS Profiles
EpiCenter: Educational Performance and Innovation in Research and Teaching
Montana State University at Bozeman
Bozeman, Montana
Purpose: Greening the Campus
Please note that the copyright for this profile is retained by the institution.
"Educating today's students in a discovery-rich environment will better prepare them to meet tomorrow's challenges. Likewise, history has shown that research in an education-rich environment yields an exceptionally dynamic and diverse enterprise."
-- Neal Lane, House Science Committee, 3/5/97.
In February 1994, Montana State University (MSU) was awarded one of four NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) "Green Building" Demonstration Planning Grants to complete conceptual designs for a National ReSource Center and to assess building technologies. This was accomplished on time and has been recognized nationally as a model project. A conceptual design for a 260,000 square foot "green building" was completed in 1998 at which time, the university decided to construct a pilot project as a venue for testing the integration of systems, prototypes of products from industry and national laboratories, as well as the innovative design for the integration of research and teaching. The pilot project is currently in schematic design with bidding expected in early 2000.
Support for the EpiCenter has been garnered from U.S. Congress (over $7 million in appropriations), U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Energy, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and a host of industries. Particularly important has been the support of MSU students. During fall semester 1996, MSU students voted 3-to-1 to impose a special fee upon themselves in support of the building project. Montana State University has raised nearly $19 million to date for the EpiCenter, including the student-backed bond, and plans to raise at least $50 million. It is anticipated that these funds will come primarily from private sources, research and association groups, and industrial partners in this project.
The pilot project will test the following concepts:
- Integration of research and teaching
- Laboratory fume hood advances and air treatment technologies
- Biological wastewater treatment
- Self-powered wastewater treatment
- Energy Efficient Integrated Systems, including natural systems and high performance building envelope
- Material Selection Methodology
- Human Factors Methodology
- Materials Research and Sustainable Construction Methods.
The EpiCenter project, a 260,000 square foot, classroom/laboratory building will evolve from the lessons learned in the pilot project. Several themes will be integrated in this "Integrated Learning Center." First, it will house the National ReSource Center for Green Building Technologies. The National ReSource Center will be a continually evolving demonstration project in both design and building technology development as well as providing daily information to 90% of MSU students who will take classes in this "green" building as well as to the green construction industry itself.
Planned highlights are:
- Opportunities for research and development of green building technologies and cold climate energy generating/conserving technologies by NIST, DOD, DOE, EPA, FEMA and other government scientists, industry partners, and MSU faculty and students;
- Information dissemination through a "green library" that will focus on developments in green building and cold climate energy generating/conserving technologies through a "green" library. Use of the Internet and the resources of the new Burns Telecommunication Center will allow for ease in access from around the globe. Development of a multi-disciplinary academic environmentally sensitive program that exposes most MSU students to basic sciences and research in the context of preserving and conserving natural resources and the environment;
- Research, development, and technology transfer of employable green building products and systems from regional resources, emphasizing waste or underutilized by-products, thereby fostering economic development in the state and region.
Second, the EpiCenter will be a signature "integrated learning center" housing state-of-the-art instructional science laboratories based on knowledge of "best practices" and world class research programs in neurobiology, computational biology, and chemistry. The integration of research and teaching in undergraduate education will be modeled by every program housed in the building. Janet Baum of HERA, St. Louis, MO and Mark Headley of Place Architects, Bozeman, are leading the programming of building to accomplish this goal.
Third, the Center will be designed as a collaboratory so that the walls are only to hold up the roof. They will be impervious to the flow of data, video, and information from throughout the world. It will be viewed as a showcase on campus, providing a window on knowledge and resources available world-wide.
Fourth, the building itself will teach. By considering cradle-to-grave impacts of all building materials and processes and minimizing the environmental impact of each by utilizing "life cycle analysis" procedures, the building will be a demonstration site during construction and beyond.
The project plan, developed by a national team and headed by Bob Berkebile of BNIM, Kansas City, will include maximizing the use of recycled and local materials and design for the eventual reuse or recycling of all building and site development components. In addition, the plan/design team will seek to minimize required energy and services through use of state-of-the-art construction techniques and forging productive linkages among the design, building, technology development, and manufacturing industries to pioneer and demonstrate new building technologies. The Montana team, headed by Don McLaughlin and Hilary Dustin of Place Architects, Bozeman, are leading the collaborative process and regional design elements to bring this national demonstration project to practical application in Montana.
For additional information:
Montana
State University - Bozeman's Green Building Project
This document was last modified on 02/20/2002 10:53:28 AM
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