Campus Green Builder

What would you recommend other institutions do if they want to build green - where should they begin?

Mr. Joel Kroenke, Campus Planner at the College of Menominee Nation, emphasizes: “Upgrade and use what you have.” Keeping efficiency and sustainability in the foreground, using the resources you already have, performing upgrades and retrofits, are a few of the initial steps that should be considered before starting any new building-related project on the campus. The recently constructed institution consists of many suitable buildings to which small-scale upgrades could be made to increase their efficiency and decrease their environmental impact. Implementing features such as efficient lighting, HVAC systems, and water efficiency controls could transform a building into a building that is greener, healthier and more cost-effective. Following are a few more suggestions from the project team that could help an institution plan a green building project and exercise strategic planning for the success of this project:

• It is important to gather feedback from particular users and stakeholders of the project during the planning stages.
• It is helpful for the institution to perform enough legwork prior to the actual initiation of the project. This strategic planning helps streamline the project needs and analyze the available resources.
• Defining programmatic needs of a particular project well in advance helps architect hit the deck running as soon as the architect is brought onboard and also saves money for the institution.
• The institution also saves money by answering some of the project-related questions upfront rather than addressing these issues at later stages of design and construction.
• Significant groundwork should be undertaken to determine the buildable area, upgrades to utilities, setbacks and square footage requirement of the project.
• Since there is certain amount of expertise available within the ranks, the project team should utilize it from the beginning of the project.
• The project team strongly recommends that smaller institutions that don’t have enough in-house expertise and extensive funds should outsource the project-related tasks and build a team of knowledgeable consultants.
• Two-tier system of internal and external evaluation and assessment also helps streamline the project.
• Long-term view of the mission of the institution and an in-depth understanding of what grant opportunities fit this mission are essential tasks to be performed before pouring resources into any project or initiative on campus.
• When funds are limited and the institution’s location is not central for gathering expertise from the region, a well-calibrated strategy needs to be adopted in order to prevent rushed decisions. In this respect, during the planning and construction of the library, College of Menominee Nation knew that there would be a need to rely on their local and regional expertise and design professionals. However, it also found that having a team of internal experts was the key to getting the project started on the right path. This internal team of experts consisted of staff and administration members with building and technical experience as well as thorough understanding of the needs of the institutions. This team helped the project starting from the research of the available grants to the review and final collaboration with the contractors and other design professionals.
• As previously mentioned, well-planned incremental building process allows for progress to take place on campus within the available budget. It also allows for the time and resources needed to replenish the finances to implement various phases of a particular project. Dividing construction of the library into various phases gave the institution the advantage of using the new facilities while work could continue on other parts of the building.

The architect on this project, Mr. Scott Tyler, from Martenson & Eisele, Inc., offered sound advice to other institutions that wish to build green on their campus. Mr. Tyler indicated that working with a client who is educated about the basic green building principles and who understands what “building green” entails and means is a key to a fine client-consultant relationship. This understanding encompasses the issues such as what is feasible on the project, what makes the building truly sustainable, what the budget can offer and what is involved in maintaining the green facilities.

Also, an upfront cost is inherent to any green project, but the client must know and understand that this cost can be recuperated over the life cycle of the building. Mr. Tyler also emphasizes that building green is not for the impatient, nor it is for those who wish to see instantaneous returns. It is challenging to apply green building features to a fast-track project, especially when there are constraints on financial resources. Enough time needs to be given to the professionals to design efficiently and ensure that the requirements and functions are being met with best possible solutions. Finally, Mr. Tyler reiterates what we have often heard from other institutions and professionals: “Think about sustainability at the start of the project.” Whether or not there is a hope to seek certification from an established rating system, integrating green features into the design in the planning stages of a project makes for a more cost efficient and energy efficient building.