Yale Bulletin and Calendar

May 11, 2007|Volume 35, Number 28|Two-Week Issue

On hand for the groundbreaking ceremony for Kroon Hall were, from left, President Richard C. Levin, Yale Corporation member Edward Bass, Mary Jane and Richard Kroon, and Gus Speth.

University breaks ground
for its 'most green building'

Yale recently broke ground for a new home for its School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) that will be a model for "green" architecture.

"It will be Yale's most green building, a symbol of the school's ideals and values, and a powerful expression in beautiful form of our relationship to the environment," said F&ES Dean Gus Speth. "It will be an inspirational and instructional model of sustainable design."

President Richard C. Levin, Yale Corporation member Edward Bass and Richard Kroon, the environmental philanthropist and Yale College graduate for whom the building will be named, joined Speth at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Kroon Hall is slated for completion late in 2008. It will provide office space for 75 faculty and staff, along with classrooms, a 175-seat auditorium and an environment center named for donors Carl and Emily Knobloch of Atlanta, Georgia. London-based Hopkins Architects designed the facility.

Stephen Kellert, chair of the school's building committee and the Tweedy Ordway Professor of Social Ecology, said: "Hopkins is one of only a few firms in the world that combines the two dimensions of sustainability: low-impact design, which minimizes adverse effects on the natural environment like carbon emissions, waste and pollution, and positive environmental design, which maximizes the physical and mental health and productivity of people by connecting them to the natural environment through a built environment."

Kroon Hall will be a long, slender, four-story structure with a rounded roofline and an entrance on Prospect Street. Because the intent is to let the architecture do much of the work of heating, cooling and lighting the building, the east-west alignment will maximize exposure to the south, increasing solar heat gain in winter and natural lighting year-round.

To reduce energy requirements through thermal mass in the structure of the building, the main structural elements of Kroon Hall will be concrete. The wooden roof structure will be visible from inside the building. Through the design of the building and the use of geothermal energy, Kroon Hall will eliminate the need for steam and chilled water for heating and cooling. Photovoltaics on the roof will supply a portion of the building's electricity requirements. The rest will be supplied through alternative sources such as wind.

Storm water runoff will be captured in holding tanks and filtered naturally for use in flush toilets, and waterless urinals will be used to save water. For aesthetic reasons and also to meet the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirement for local materials, the building will prominently feature timber harvested from sustainably managed forests, including Yale-Myers Forest in northeastern Connecticut. Furniture will be made from recycled and recyclable materials with no volatile organic compounds.

Yale anticipates that Kroon Hall will attain a LEED-certified platinum rating, the highest standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council, a partnership of builders and environmentalists.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Co-evolution of genitalia in waterfowl reveals 'war between the sexes'

Study of Galápagos tortoises' DNA may locate mate for 'Lonesome George'

Eighteen new Yale World Fellows named

Health clinic staff among the winners of Elm-Ivy Awards

Bringing a philosophical perspective to palliative care

University breaks ground for its 'most green building'

Child Study Center recognized for leadership in autism research

Yale senior Rebekah Emanuel wins Simon Fellowship for Noble Purpose

Using molecular 'nanosyringe,' researchers demonstrate . . .

Irish writer's play about Siamese twins wins Yale Drama Series award

When it comes to grades, giving is no easier than receiving, says panel

Talents of drama students showcased in Carlotta Festival

Biophysicist Steitz honored for ribosome research with Gairdner Award

CCL renovations on schedule; lawn to be used for Commencement

Project aims to improve financial services for those living in poverty

Pastoral leadership skills are focus of Center for Faith and Culture event

MacMillan Center honors the work of three Yale faculty members

Yale has highest number of sports teams honored . . .

WORKSPACE ENHANCEMENTS AT THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Adding some sunshine to a windowless office

Creating a tranquil space for nursing mothers

Decking the hallways with quilted artworks