On October 10 Hudson Valley Community College celebrated the official opening of its new Science Center. The new Science Center, supported by Rensselaer County and the State of New York, helps Hudson Valley serve as a bridge between companies seeking skilled employees and those seeking training and employment. Several of the college’s industry partners, including Regeneron, AMRI and Taconic are among the largest manufacturers in the region, and many of those employers continue to expand their workforce thanks, in part, to Hudson Valley.
This undergraduate teaching facility includes classrooms, faculty offices, laboratories for biology with a greenhouse, chemistry, physics/geology and a unique program component called technical services in which chemicals are prepared centrally and distributed to the classrooms by a small staff using a dedicated service corridor.
The form and materials of the building are designed to be sympathetic to the HVCC campus, which includes an intriguing collection of modern buildings connected by a series of lively open green spaces at various elevations.
Following the ceremonial opening, Warren Jagger photographed the building, capturing all the details of the building – big and small. While Warren worked his photography magic, I also took a few photos.
The Science Center is expected to achieve a LEED Silver Certification from the USGBC, marking it sustainable, energy-efficient new construction. Mosaic Associates of East Greenbush collaborated on the building’s design.
Cape Cod Community College’s Frank and Maureen Wilkens Science and Engineering Center is a net-positive energy building designed to transform the heart of campus.
The project approaches sustainability through a holistic and global approach, implementing a range of moves including passive solar shading overhangs, air-source heat pumps, high performance materials with low embodied carbon and the expansion of the range of thermal comfort and lighting power density. Combined with on-site photovoltaics, the project achieves net-positive energy use.
The project’s thermally modified wood rainscreen façade is a study of the modern expression of vernacular Cape Cod architecture while reducing embodied carbon. Early lifecycle assessments identified the immense carbon savings of wood over fiber cement. The design team did not stop there, furthering reductions by peeling back unnecessary finishes like carpet and ceilings. Together, these decisions enabled a 19% reduction in embodied carbon.
#earthweek #designalways #buildingscience #performalism #netpositive #capecodmodernism #capecod #newengland