Green Buildings at Longwood
Harvard School of Public Health: LEED Certified
In
October 2001, the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) moved members
of the Environmental Epidemiology and Environmental Science and Engineering
groups, as well as the Department of Health and Social Behavior into
just over 40,000 gross square feet of newly refurbished space at the
Landmark Center, at 401 Park Drive in Boston. The new space would be
the first USGBC LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
Registered or Certified Project for HSPH, and was built at a time when
there were no LEED buildings in Massachusetts. To learn more about the
USGBC and LEED see: http://www.usgbc.org
This building presented an opportunity for the Harvard School of Public Health to not only live out its mission of devising new strategies for a healthier environment, a safer workplace, and fewer injuries but also to become a living laboratory in assessing the health and environmental impacts of its own space.
Features
Inspired
by the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, the renovated offices offer
cutting-edge features designed to increase the space’s energy
efficiency while promoting the health, comfort, and productivity of
the staff and students working there.
Following the basic structure of the USGBC’s LEED rating system, this building’s green features include:
Sustainable Sites
The project was built in a dense area, provided alternative transportation
by being located close to public transportation and by providing bicycle
storage and changing rooms, and limited the parking availability for
the site.
Water Efficiency
Water use was reduced by 20% below average through low-flow technologies.
Energy and Atmosphere
Lighting power was reduced by 40% over standard; a programmable timer turns lights off during non-business hours; an under-floor ventilation system contributes to the HVAC performance being 15% better than average; and 50% of the electricity for the space is provided by the purchase of renewable energy certificates from wind power.
Materials and Resources
The construction was able to re-use or maintain 75% of the “non-shell” systems of the existing building, which is registered on the National Register of Historic Places (this includes ceilings, flooring, walls and wall panels); during the construction of the project, over 50% of the waste was diverted from the landfill through recycling, reuse or other means; many of the building products (including the furniture, lighting, carpet and flooring) contained recycled materials; 20% of the materials were manufactured locally and 10% of the materials were extracted regionally (cutting down on transportation costs) and bamboo flooring was used, which is a rapidly renewable material.
Indoor Environmental Quality
Continuous carbon dioxide (CO2) monitoring provides the capacity for indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring to sustain the long-term comfort and well-being of occupants; low-emitting adhesives and sealants, paints, carpet and furniture were used; and over 75% of spaces have access to daylight and views.
Innovation
The building is used in graduate research; it is used in the education of staff, students, and faculty; it has been used to assist in the market transformation towards a more sustainable building industry through leading tours for industry.
Cost
Landmark Center Total Construction Costs (hard, soft, and green) were $6.1 Million. Of that, $77,000 was attributed to "green" costs. The conservative estimated savings for energy and productivity gains (1% or $52,000) totaled $82,000 with a 0.9 year simple payback. Daniel Beaudoin, Manager of Operations through Energy & Utilities at the Harvard School of Public Health Energy sums it up by saying, “Incorporating USGBC LEED Standards into University practices makes sense from all angles: financial, environmental, and human health."
Learn More
The full submission is available online at: http://www.greenbuildingware.com. Enter the user name: HarvardUser (no space) and the password: Generic Register (space). "Please click: "Developments" and then "Harvard School of Public Health" and then "Fourth Floor Landmark."
Check out the following related brochures and media:
- Harvard Public Health Review story: The Greening of the Crimson Campus.
- USGBC/HSPH Brochure: "Harvard School: The Harvard School of Public Health’s new offices receive high marks for efficiency."
- International Development Research Council Landmark Center Case Study
To learn about high performance buildings at Harvard, check out the Green Campus Building Service website.