Going for the Gold
Photography by Jeff Glidden '87 and Mike Rich '02
“The theme of this building is science on display,” says Brian Gardner, senior facilities manager‚ giving a tour of at Stark’s stunning new Science and Nursing Building, which was designed by the Columbus-based architecture firm, Baxter Hodell Donnelly Preston Inc. It opened this fall and houses faculty members and classes from nursing‚ biological sciences‚ physics and geology.
As you walk along hallways flooded with light from floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights, you can view informational displays and watch students involved in hands-on learning and research in state-of-the-art classrooms and labs.
But science is also on display in the 41‚140 square-foot, three-story building itself, which is projected to earn LEED Gold certification through its sustainability-focused construction practices and design elements.
“One goal with LEED is to get daylight into the interior so you don’t have to use as much electric light‚” says Gardner, noting a light-harvesting system that uses sensors to dim indoor lights in classrooms on sunny days.
Other eco-friendly elements include low-VOC paints and coatings, LED lights‚ a solar-generated hot water system and an energy-saving heat recovery chiller that can cool the building during moderate-temperature days. A green roof and rain garden are part of a storm water management system. And a new vertical wind turbine‚ adjacent to the building‚ contributes two to four kilowatts of electrical power to the building and is also used for instruction.
Part of the Kent State’s Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future initiative‚ Kent State Stark’s new building will help enhance student experiences and attract the brightest scientific minds to Stark County.
See slideshow below and learn more at www.kent.edu/stark/science-nursing-building.
