|
contents | technologies | |||||||||
| American University's SIS broke ground on 'green' building  American University's School of International Service broke ground on a new 70,000-square-foot environmentally-friendly building. The state-of-the-art building is scheduled to open to students and faculty in fall 2009. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) delivered the groundbreaking address, which paralleled and commemorated the groundbreaking address made in 1957 by President Dwight David Eisenhower for the school's original building. Inouye, the third most senior member of the U.S. Senate, is chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and is vice chairman of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission.The new structure, designed by renowned "green" architect William McDonough with William McDonough & Partners, will bring faculty currently housed in eight buildings across campus into one space. It has been designed to reduce energy consumption and minimize construction waste, and the architects are fashioning spaces that will protect public health by using natural lighting, nontoxic materials and climate controls that ensure the quality of indoor air. Thirty of American University's buildings are registered for LEED accreditation, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. These efforts are part of a larger university-wide green campaign that includes initiatives in transportation, grounds, water, energy and waste management. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Construction News :: home page |