Campus green takes on a new meaning

"Colleges are ideal communities for launching a green initiative," said Kevin Doyle, "guru of green." I retained Doyle's services to address a group of students, staff and faculty at Monroe College in New Rochelle and the Bronx, a long-time client of mine, about how the college and its inhabitants can make changes in their day-to-day lives to embrace sustainability, the buzz word of the decade and, hopefully, the 21st century. Doyle, an environmentalist, green careers expert and author has redefined the meaning of "bottom line" for a sustainable environment. He inspired me to write about not just what Monroe is doing to make its real estate properties more green, but also to give my readers a sneak preview of what is anticipated will qualify as a silver-level U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building at The College of New Rochelle (CNR). Monroe acquired a new building on Jerome Ave. and Fordham Rd. in the Bronx to house its expanding MBA and undergraduate business degree. It is installing a 50-KW photovoltaic rooftop solar system that will generate 57,000 KW hours of electricity. The system's mounting apparatus will help conserve energy since it is made of R-10 insulation material, reducing the building's heating and cooling needs. The college will save $11,400 annually and realize the return on its investment in solar energy in five years. At CNR, it was "decided from day one" to make its 50,000 s/f, $27.5 million Wellness Center a green building, opening April 24. Joe Tattoni, AIA, a principal with ikon.5 architects was the lead architect for the project. The firm also designed the renovations to the college's Gill Memorial Library and its portfolio of other projects in academia is an enviable CV in higher education. The ikon team was still required to work with a third party commissioning agent, Paul Banks of B2Q Associates, Inc., to make sure that every step was being taken to maximize energy efficiency. Also required was a LEED consultant, Fore Solutions, which advised the architect and engineering teams on its performance plan for achieving LEED goals. Robert Silman Associates was the structural engineers and Andron Construction Corp. was construction manager and general manager. Originally, the architects wanted to use a geothermal renewable energy system to heat and cool the building's natatorium, housing the center's NCAA regulation-size swimming pool which has strict temperature control requirements. The architects chose to suppress the natatorium and cap it with a rooftop garden. Both design features will serve as natural insulation. Skylights will lower lighting costs and the pool's heat recovery system recycles energy through the building's air conditioning system which will have a similar tempering effect on the outdoor air as a geothermal system. Both Monroe College and CNR are well-established institutions with 40 buildings in their portfolios. So going green entirely overnight is not feasible for either institution although both colleges are evaluating energy usage one building at a time. Rob Seitz is an agent with Goldschmidt & Associates, New Rochelle, N.Y.