EFS Profiles
Oakes Hall: Design With the Earth in Mind
Vermont Law School
South Royalton, Vermont
Purpose: Greening the Campus
Please note that the copyright for this profile is retained by the institution.
Vermont Law School's James L. and Evelena S. Oakes Hall rose majestically along the banks of the White River in time for classes in the fall of 1998. The teaching facility incorporates the latest electronic and distance-learning technology and demonstrates environmentally sound construction and operation.
A Model of "Green" Construction and Operation
Habitat destruction, global warming, and stratospheric ozone depletion are among today's most pressing global, ecological problems. Recognizing the severity of these threats, Vermont Law School has given high priority to demonstrating environmental responsibility in Oakes Hall by designing it to be exceptionally durable and energy-efficient. "A model of 'green' construction and operation..." (Christian Science Monitor), the facility is a natural complement to VLS' nationally recognized environmental program in law.
Through its energy-efficient design the building eliminates much of the expense and pollution associated with heating traditional structures. Remarkably, it does not require any heating equipment, chimneys, or fuel storage tanks. Four very efficient, oil-fired boilers have been installed in adjacent Whitcomb House, replacing an older, less efficient unit. The new boilers are sufficient to heat the greatly enlarged and connected, two-building complex.
One of the many technological innovations of Oakes Hall is its enthalpic energy recovery wheel. The seven-foot diameter wheel, located within the ventilation air ductwork, is coated with a substance which absorbs and re-releases moisture. By transferring heat and water vapor it will keep the building from becoming too dry in the winter or too humid in the summer, while it recovers 80% of the heat in the exhaust air and transfers it to the incoming, fresh air.
Marc Rosenbaum, PE, of energysmiths, Meriden, NH, was the project's environmental design consultant. "Durability," he says, "should be the paramount goal of an environmentally responsible building." Vermont Law School's new facility meets this objective through the use of long-lasting interior and exterior finish materials, building components selected on the basis of their resistance to wear, and the control of moisture, air, and heat through the building.
The building is also exceptionally thrifty in terms of resource needs. Energy consumption is minimized via economical heating, cooling, and lighting systems. Taking into account the limitations of South Royalton's small, municipal water system, the new facility has been designed to actually reduce the law school's overall water demand. The flushing of toilets typically accounts for the largest percentage of water use in an educational building, and the new building's chief strategy for reducing water demand is the use of composting toilets on the main and upper levels. Rather than using water, these units employ aerobic bacteria to ultimately render waste into potential fertilizer. To further reduce campus-wide water consumption, a number of plumbing fixtures were removed from the Old Classroom Building and other campus structures. This was made possible due to the new building's increased capacity. In addition, water-efficient fixtures have been selected for the conventional lavatories on the lower level of Oakes Hall.
A concerted effort was made to ensure that the building provides a healthy environment for its occupants. Construction materials were carefully chosen to minimize harmful fumes, including water-based paints and finishes, non-formaldehyde particle board for cabinetry and casework, and natural linoleum instead of vinyl flooring. In addition, the emphasis on interior comfort and safety led designers to specify generous amounts of natural daylight and fresh air ventilation.
"An environmental building for an environmental law school," is how Marc Rosenbaum sums up the many impressive features in Oakes Hall. "The quality of construction and design is quite comprehensive," he states. "Quality...not in the sense of marble in the lobby, but in the sense of being a building built to last, to be safe, and comfortable for those using it."
Environmental Aspects of Materials
Stress skin panels
These panels make up the building enclosure and achieve our goal of completely wrapping the building structure with a high integrity thermal insulation. The panel skins are oriented strand board, which utilize low-grade wood fiber to produce a structural panel. The insulation core is made of expanded polystyrene foam, the same material used in foam beverage cups. This is only the foam board stock material not produced with ozone-depleting chemicals. (AFM Industries)
Fly ash concrete
Fly ash is produced during the combustion of coal and has long been considered a waste to be disposed of. It is used as an substitute for portland cement (up to 20% in this case), the production of which is extremely energy intensive. It enhances the concrete's strength and workability and utilizes an otherwise useless industrial by-product.
Linoleum flooring
Real linoleum flooring (as opposed to vinyl sheet) is made from natural materials such as linseed oil, wood, or cork flour, limestone, and natural pigments. Its manufacturing process creates little pollution and it is extremely durable. (Forbo Industries)
Fiber cement sliding
Lap siding made of cellulose fiber, cement and sand replaces western red cedar clapboards. The fiber cement product avoids the harvesting of old growth forests and is a more durable and less maintenance-intensive product, and it should allow longer times between repainting. (Cemplank)
Composite wood trim
This product is formed from wood fiber and allows a higher utilization of the forest resource. (Primetrina)
Fiberglass windows
The windows selected are made of fiberglass, which makes them very stable and durable. The window sash and frames are hollow pultrusions, which are filled with expanded polystyrene foam insulation. Combined with triple glazing with low emissivity coating and argon gas fill, these windows are twice as effective at stopping heat loss in comparison to typically used window products. (Accurate Dorwin)
Drywall
The paper facing for this product is manufactured from 100% recycled newsprint and corrugated containers. The gypsum core contains the maximum amounts of material sourced from recycled gypsum and reclaimed from stack emissions. The New Hampshire plant accepts gypboard off-cuts for reintroduction to the manufacturing process. (Gold Bond)
Acoustical ceiling tiles
The principal component of the ceiling tiles is mineral wool produced from slag, a waste byproduct of iron ore reduction. Cellulose fiber from recycled newspaper is also incorporated. There is recycled content in the steel ceiling grid supporting the tiles. (U.S. Gypsum)
Interior wood products
Interior hardwood trim from a sustainably managed forest in Maine, certified by an independent agency. Forests managed in this way prevent the intense damage to ecosystems that occurs when traditional lumber harvesting practices (clear-cutting) happens. (Seven Islands Land Co., A.E. Simpson)
Cedar shingles
White cedar shingles from the sustainably managed forest in Maine mentioned above. (Seven Islands Land Co., Maibec Corp.)
Carpet
Little carpet is used in the building due to the long-term health effects associated with carpet. What carpet is installed will be produced by a company that is the leader in designing carpet that can be recycled. The company's goal is a closed loop manufacturing process which produces zero emissions and uses no non-renewable energy or raw materials to manufacture carpet. (Interface Carpet)
Toilet partitions
Plastic toilet partitions made principally from recycled high density polyethylene plastic. The plastic is moisture resistant, rust-proof, and very durable. (Santana)
Interior wainscoting
Wainscoting in the building will be made of Wheatboard, an innovative particleboard product, which uses waste wheat straw as the raw material. No urea formaldehyde resins are used in the Wheatboard adhesives. (Prime Board, Inc.)
Water-based finishes
Paints, stains, and clear finishes are specified to be non-solvent based and, where possible (interior), to contain zero volatile organic compounds. (Benjamin Moore)
Foam-in-place spray sealant
This material is used to seal small crevices to provide additional tightness in the building envelope. It uses a non-CFC blowing agent, thereby minimizing adverse effect upon the ozone layer. (Pur-Fill IG 600)
Environmental Features
Composting Toilets Save Precious Water
- Composting toilets, which do not require any water, are on Oakes Hall's main and upper levels.
- Aerobic bacteria will convert waste into potential fertilizer. Fixtures will be removed from other campus structures (made possible due to the new building's increased capacity), allowing VLS to reduce its overall water demand.
- The reduced water demand is a substantial benefit to the Town of Royalton's
- small, municipal water system.
- The building is the first public, year-round building in Vermont to use composting toilets.
- The envelope surrounding the building includes a continuous layer of high quality insulation, "super windows," and airtight construction.
- The envelope keeps interior surfaces of the building warm, preventing condensation,
- which can lead to mold and/or deterioration.
- The envelope decreases heating and cooling costs.
- The envelope eliminates the need for perimeter heating, decreasing capital cost.
- In contrast with most buildings, Oakes Hall does not send ventilated air to unoccupied
- rooms.
- Occupied rooms receive 100% fresh, outdoor air, which is heated or cooled within the room; unoccupied spaces heat or cool air already present within the room.
- Ventilating only rooms that are occupied is Oakes Hall's principal energy-saving strategy.
- Super windows insulate almost twice as well as typical new windows, dramatically reducing heat loss.
- Super windows cost no more than standard, high quality new windows.
- The seven-foot diameter wheel, located within the ventilation air ductwork, is coated with a substance which absorbs and re-releases moisture.
- By transferring heat and water vapor the wheel will keep the building from becoming too dry in the winter or too humid in the summer.
- The wheel recovers 80% of the heat in exhaust air, transferring it to the incoming, fresh air.
- Photoelectric lighting controls turn off corridor lighting when sufficient natural light is present.
- Lights are turned off automatically once users leave a classroom.
- Lighting fixtures include high-efficiency, low mercury, fluorescent lighting and compact fluorescents.
- Exit signs are lit by very efficient, long lasting, light emitting diodes.
- Outdoor site lighting includes high pressure sodium lighting, the most efficient electric lighting for larger, open areas.
- The siding is very rugged and much more resistant to moisture-driven expansion and contraction.
- The siding has the look of traditional, wooden clapboards.
- The interval between repainting is at least doubled.
- Linoleum is used as the finish flooring in most of Oakes Hall's two upper levels.
- Traditional linoleum is made from linseed oil, wood flour, and cork, which are heat-cured to produce a resilient flooring material highly resistant to staining and wear.
- Linoleum will far outwear sheet vinyl flooring, its synthetic competition.
- Products of combustion from heating equipment have been eliminated. The building is so efficient that it is heated by oil-fired boilers installed in adjacent Whitcomb House. The new building did not require any heating equipment, chimneys, or fuel storage tanks.
- Moisture-induced, biological factors such as molds and dust mites have been prevented by design.
- Construction materials were carefully chosen to minimize harmful fumes, including water-based paints and finishes, non-formaldehyde particleboard for cabinetry and casework, and natural linoleum instead of vinyl flooring.
- The amount of fresh air supplied to each classroom is selected by users when they enter and is continuously verified by a central control system.
- Unlike most buildings, no air exhausted from an occupied classroom is re-circulated back into the supply air; all air supplied is fresh, outdoor air.
- Each classroom is an individual heating/cooling zone.
- Operable windows connect occupants with the natural world outdoors.
- The building is fully accessible for all users.
For additional information:
Oakes Hall: New
Classroom Building
This document was last modified on 02/20/2002 10:43:01 AM
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