School of Management Goes for the "Green" : Spotlight on Simmons : Simmons College

Commercial and residential buildings in the U.S. have a voracious appetite: they consume 66% of the nation's total electricity, 36% of its energy, 40% of its raw materials, and 12% of its potable water. They also produce 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions, and 136 million tons of construction and demolition waste.

That's why Simmons College is making sure that the new School of Management (SOM) building is different, right from the start - by making it "green." (To be a "green" building, a structure must use as many materials as possible that don't consume the earth's natural resources.) The goal is to make the new building 40% more efficient in its energy use than other office buildings in the area.

Nearly all of the materials in the new building will be recycled - from structural materials such as steel and concrete, to the carpeting. Wood in the building will come from managed forests. The building also will have "green" roofs: on the fifth floor, there will be a low emissive roof (white or silver in color) that will reflect the sun's heat instead of absorbing it, thereby reducing cooling and heating demands. The fourth floor will have a partially vegetated planted roof, which features small trees, shrubs, and grasses. The vegetated roof will absorb rainwater and divert it from the city drainage system, slowing peak flows and improving water quality.

Students, faculty, and staff will enjoy many benefits in the new space, said Marcus Springer, vice president of design at Cannon Design, the project's architectural firm. "There will be superior indoor air quality," he said. "All of the interior spaces will have natural light."

But Simmons isn't stopping there. The college is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification by the United States Green Building Council. Currently, only 11 buildings in Massachusetts are LEED certified - only one of which is located in Boston. Only two other institutions of higher education in Massachusetts have LEED certified buildings.

It will take about six months after the completion of the building to find out if Simmons has achieved LEED certification.

"I believe strongly that LEED Silver-level Certification is critical for reflecting the values of the SOM," said SOM Dean Deborah Merrill-Sands. "The SOM is dedicated to educating women as principled leaders who achieve great results, build enduring and ethical organizations, and make positive contributions to the communities and societies in which they work. Given this mission, it is imperative that the SOM 'walks the talk' and explicitly incorporates sustainability concerns into the design of the new building."

"At the end of the day, each of us is a steward of our environment," Springer added. "This new building is just one example of the ways that we can reverse our current environmental practices, to make the world a better place."

» School of Management Goes for the "Green"

School of Management Goes for the "Green"

Article Tools

Recent Stories

For More