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The Science of Healing, the Art of Compassion
Designing Sustainable and Healthy Architecture is an Organic Process
by Michael
Hawker and Jennifer Desmond, Contributing Writers
Feature photographs
by Jennifer Desmond
Additional photography by Michael Hawker
Copyright 2012, Symbiotic Sense, All Rights Reserved.
Every image may be enlarged for better clarity and viewing by clicking on it.
Don't hesitate to try!
Additional photography by Michael Hawker
Copyright 2012, Symbiotic Sense, All Rights Reserved.
Every image may be enlarged for better clarity and viewing by clicking on it.
Don't hesitate to try!
SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH - At first glance, any news of the upcoming
American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention to be held mid-May
in Washington, D.C. would naturally not garner much notice from the broader
community of students, faculty, or staff of Salt Lake Community College. This
year, however, might be good reason for pause and note the connection. Tagged
with a slogan "design connects" and anticipated to draw 17,000 architects,
designers, and building industry-related professionals along with 800
exhibitors, this year's AIA event will focus much of its general and education
sessions on sustainable design and themes of healing our world through the
built environment.
Featured will be tours of several LEED-certified buildings, the green building certification system of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and foremost among green rating systems worldwide. To date, over 44,000 projects participate in the LEED rating system in all 50 states and 120 countries, and additionally more than 67,000 residences have been registered under the LEED for Homes program.
The Health Sciences Center, Jordan Campus, earned LEED Silver certification in 2009. Click image to enlarge. |
Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) claims
a trio of LEED-certified buildings, among which is one focused on the
"science of healing and the art of compassion," the Health Science
Center at the Jordan Campus. It opened in 2007 and was awarded the College's
first LEED Certification in 2009. The other LEED-participating SLCC buildings are
the Center for New Media Annex (LEED Certified Silver) at the South City Campus -- currently under construction -- and the new Instructional Administration Building (pursuing LEED Silver rating) which will replace an existing
energy-devouring building at the same site on the Taylorsville-Redwood Campus. Both
are expected to open doors to students and faculty January, 2013.
Courtesy USGBC from "List of Top Ten States for LEED Green Buildings" |
LEED certification is relatively new to Utah,
unlike in Washington, D.C. where the largest percentage of LEED certified
buildings per square foot of building space and per capita have been awarded.
Utah's increasing participation is largely due to the Federal mandates for LEED.
Since June 1, 2009, the State Building Energy Efficiency Program has required
all new campus structures to be designed to meet LEED Silver designation.
SLCC's buildings are owned by The Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM), which is committed to meeting the capital development
building requirement.
"The State's own high performance criteria
at the time the Health Sciences Center was being designed -- before 2007 -- was
very comparable to LEED," stated Kenneth Adlam, AIA, a LEED-accredited
professional and Principal with GSBS Architects. Adlam was the Project
Architect responsible for the Health Science Center design. After the
architects articulated the advantages of LEED to the College, educating them on
the various nuances, the College opted to commit to even higher standards and
meet the basic LEED Certification requirements.
"DFCM then recognized that not much of a
stretch was needed to reach for LEED," said Adlam. It was "about $75,000
difference" to get the building a base level LEED Certification, recalled
Adlam, and those funds were not provided by DFCM, but were all raised by the
College. This step has proved invaluable for the College and the State for pursuing a more
aggressive approach to green building.
"DFCM is now very committed to fully
commissioning its buildings being sustainable and energy efficient," says
Curtis Clark, PE and LEED-accredited professional, who worked as a project
manager for DFCM at the time when the Health Sciences Center project began.
Clark now is the Director of Sustainability Services for GSBS Architects.
The Health Sciences Center
The Health Sciences Center (HSC), designed by GSBS Architects, is 150,000 feet of space providing classrooms for nearly 1,200 students in several health-care-related disciplines, including nursing, biotechnology, medical assisting and laboratories, occupational therapy, pharmacy studies, physical therapy, radiologic technology, surgical and health administration, and mortuary science. Amid the 16 classrooms are multiple examination and assessment rooms, more than 30 computer, medical and cadaver laboratories, a 500-seat auditorium, two clinics, a physical therapy pool and student wellness center, a library center, and four computer testing centers. All this surrounds a grand three-story keynote atrium space adjacent to an outdoor garden patio along the building's west side. The atrium admits significant daylight from a combination of an expansive insulated glass curtain wall and several clerestory windows high along the stepped roof's underside.
The Health Sciences Center (HSC), designed by GSBS Architects, is 150,000 feet of space providing classrooms for nearly 1,200 students in several health-care-related disciplines, including nursing, biotechnology, medical assisting and laboratories, occupational therapy, pharmacy studies, physical therapy, radiologic technology, surgical and health administration, and mortuary science. Amid the 16 classrooms are multiple examination and assessment rooms, more than 30 computer, medical and cadaver laboratories, a 500-seat auditorium, two clinics, a physical therapy pool and student wellness center, a library center, and four computer testing centers. All this surrounds a grand three-story keynote atrium space adjacent to an outdoor garden patio along the building's west side. The atrium admits significant daylight from a combination of an expansive insulated glass curtain wall and several clerestory windows high along the stepped roof's underside.
Second Level plan: library in lower left corner. Please click image to enlarge. |
First Level plan: atrium surrounded by auditorium (upper right) and classrooms. Please click image to enlarge. |
On one level, the programs contained within the
building work towards a healthier environment by promoting healthier students
within its walls. "It's not so much because of the LEED aspect, but
because of all the clinics we have here," said student staff member Steven
Marble, who is a Health Science major. "That is how it encourages my
health -- the teaching and all the labs." On another level, the architecture and
environmental conditions of design promote health along another angle. "In
the LEED sense, it is the huge bank of windows here [in the Atrium] that has a
lot to do with health because it lets in so much light," said Marble.
The architecture of the HSC exudes a sterile aesthetic with a simple material palette and chiefly small windows lined with horizontal concrete sill bands that emulate many hospital designs of years past. Perhaps this was intentional, as a training center for the medical and health science disciplines. The building fits into the context of the other Jordan Campus buildings, primarily through material and color. The entire campus is draped in a palette that was meant to keep the campus harmonious to its residential neighbors, along with lower and sloped roof lines. The sloping roof of the HSC -- which balances the flat roof portions of the building -- is sheltering, purposeful in providing shade to the exterior walls, but also becomes the primary visible feature on the exterior as it mimics the slopes of the mountains. This is simultaneously bold and reserved, some design flair peeking through the overall restraint. A more daring and bold avant-garde look would not have been welcome here on the Jordan campus, as it would compete with the residential character present in the surrounding sight lines. The public seemingly agreed in a poll when it voted to award the design a People's Choice Award in 2008, co-sponsored by the AIA-Utah Chapter and The Salt Lake Tribune. In 2009, the building was awarded its LEED Certification.
The site placement is along the centralizing "main street" that runs through the campus heart, and borders it along the east edge to face the plaza. From the high vantage point, practically the highest point on the campus site, views to the southeast of the Wasatch mountains are maximized from the corner library. Daylight washes the library and provides a serene space for study.
The architecture of the HSC exudes a sterile aesthetic with a simple material palette and chiefly small windows lined with horizontal concrete sill bands that emulate many hospital designs of years past. Perhaps this was intentional, as a training center for the medical and health science disciplines. The building fits into the context of the other Jordan Campus buildings, primarily through material and color. The entire campus is draped in a palette that was meant to keep the campus harmonious to its residential neighbors, along with lower and sloped roof lines. The sloping roof of the HSC -- which balances the flat roof portions of the building -- is sheltering, purposeful in providing shade to the exterior walls, but also becomes the primary visible feature on the exterior as it mimics the slopes of the mountains. This is simultaneously bold and reserved, some design flair peeking through the overall restraint. A more daring and bold avant-garde look would not have been welcome here on the Jordan campus, as it would compete with the residential character present in the surrounding sight lines. The public seemingly agreed in a poll when it voted to award the design a People's Choice Award in 2008, co-sponsored by the AIA-Utah Chapter and The Salt Lake Tribune. In 2009, the building was awarded its LEED Certification.
The site placement is along the centralizing "main street" that runs through the campus heart, and borders it along the east edge to face the plaza. From the high vantage point, practically the highest point on the campus site, views to the southeast of the Wasatch mountains are maximized from the corner library. Daylight washes the library and provides a serene space for study.
From the Jordan Campus central plaza, a partially shaded walkway leads to the Health Sciences Center. Please click image to enlarge. |
The Health Sciences Center atrium admits natural light from clerestory windows. Please click image to enlarge. |
"I like the general design of the building. I enjoy the
big windows and natural light. The atrium is very nice," remarked Kim
Kincher, the Circulations Specialist for the library the past 8 months.
[author's note: time spent first-hand using the space for study several hours on two separate dates gleaned the peaceful and pleasant aspects of the library, its expansive views of the mountains and southern half of Jordan Campus site; the space does face east and so window blinds are required to filter the bright morning sun]
[author's note: time spent first-hand using the space for study several hours on two separate dates gleaned the peaceful and pleasant aspects of the library, its expansive views of the mountains and southern half of Jordan Campus site; the space does face east and so window blinds are required to filter the bright morning sun]
Inside, the near monotone color cleanliness is
similarly set to a medical facility tone. With wide corridors and a reception
station enveloped in glass, the nursing classroom wing layout emulates a
hospital floor, while the atrium space might rival the most public of
circulation spaces in a large medical center. Yet this building does have its
own identity, and it takes that shape from its stepped roof line meant to
relate to the nearby mountain ranges, as well the high-tech metal columns on
the exterior supporting the roof in areas where it extends broadly past the
building perimeter walls. The columns on the inside supporting the exposed
metal roof and joist structure are concrete.
The atrium, undoubtedly, is the marquis space for the building serving as circulation central. In time, however, it has become something more to the students. "Because of the atrium, it's a study area for all the students," said LuAnne Holt, the Assistant to the Dean of Health Sciences, whose office faces the atrium on the lower level and who has worked in the building since it opened. "Our nursing students especially, Monday through Friday you'll see large study groups of ten to fifteen and then they line up to have their test, and somebody else comes and fills it up. It's wonderful to see them out here, taking part here, instead of in a corner hidden. They can be comfortable while studying."
[author's note: interviewing students of this aspect was almost unnecessary, as observation alone over a few hours witnessed a number of students using the space comfortably. Some studied. Others had gathered to talk. Some were at tables with laptop computers. Despite the large area volume, the place was quiet, serene, and filled with natural light filtering from above through the open roof joist structure. It was a testament to the space to actually observe how it was used.]
The atrium, undoubtedly, is the marquis space for the building serving as circulation central. In time, however, it has become something more to the students. "Because of the atrium, it's a study area for all the students," said LuAnne Holt, the Assistant to the Dean of Health Sciences, whose office faces the atrium on the lower level and who has worked in the building since it opened. "Our nursing students especially, Monday through Friday you'll see large study groups of ten to fifteen and then they line up to have their test, and somebody else comes and fills it up. It's wonderful to see them out here, taking part here, instead of in a corner hidden. They can be comfortable while studying."
[author's note: interviewing students of this aspect was almost unnecessary, as observation alone over a few hours witnessed a number of students using the space comfortably. Some studied. Others had gathered to talk. Some were at tables with laptop computers. Despite the large area volume, the place was quiet, serene, and filled with natural light filtering from above through the open roof joist structure. It was a testament to the space to actually observe how it was used.]
LEED Strategy is Not Absolute Perfection
HSC was awarded its LEED Certification based on a positive point system -- a point credit earned for every element addressed and included in the design according to various categories aligned with sustainable practices. It included many specific features a casual passerby may not even detect.
LEED Certification levels and point-earning categories. Please click image to enlarge. |
All artificial lighting in the building is
controlled by some level of automatic means, including occupancy sensors,
daylighting controls and networked relay controls that work toward assuring
that the lighting is never energized when unneeded. The flood of atrium
daylighting, for instance, is detected by photocells so that lights in those
areas are off when daylight is sufficient. The controls are linked to a
building management system so that campus maintenance may monitor and control
the lighting remotely.
"There are many times when you come into the
building and a lot of the lights in the Atrium won't even be on because we are
having a good day outside and [maintenance] can leave those lights off because
of the bank of windows allowing daylight," concurred Marble. The architectural
design and the building systems clearly are needed to work together for meeting
particular goals.
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is monitored with a
carbon dioxide detection system, a part of the IAQ management plan that was
established well before building occupancy during construction. Materials and
interior finishes were specified for their low-volatile organic compound
emissions characteristics, often associated with creating sick building
syndrome, a combination of health ailments caused by flaws and/or contaminants in the building. Though many of the staff members may not know the architectural,
technical, or recognition details of the building, they do sense the impact of
the naturally-lit atrium and the awareness of attention to good green design.
"I am impressed with the value that was
placed on aesthetics. This is a very pleasing building. The atrium is bright,
airy, and welcoming," said the Nursing Division Chair, Judy Scott, MSN,
RN, and who has worked in the building for over a year. "I love coming to
work here. My office has a huge window to look outside. I also love all the
greenery, since all the plants you see inside are live plants. Nothing artificial.
It's a low-stress level place to work."
The Health Sciences Center Atrium. Photo by Hawker. |
Important to understand is that even newer buildings, such as the Health Science Center, require regular energy reviews to identify continuous quality improvements. In five years since its construction, technological advances in lighting could warrant replacing particular luminaires in the Health Science Center, perhaps to embrace the recent LED advancements in lighting. LED lighting is proving to be the technological revolution in lighting for its energy saving and cost benefits. Energy audits also identify areas where minor adjustments may be made to the energy management monitoring systems that establish temperature set points for hvac systems in order to achieve optimal performance. With real occupancy and utility data, adjustments made can be suited to the particular habits of the building.