Building for Science and for Nature
My point is that academic architecture is a kind of crystallized pedagogy and that buildings have their own hidden curriculum that teaches us as effectively as any course taught in them.
— David Orr, "Architecture as Pedagogy"
When we begin a project, we don't really think of ourselves as designing buildings; we think of ourselves as creating an environment for a community. And we start with the idea of all species in that community. Instead of simply saying, How can we begin loving our own children, even for seven generations, we ask how do we love all the children of all the species for all time. In that sense, architecture is a fundamental act of restoration and regeneration.
— Architect William McDonough, "If a Building Could Be Like a Tree"
In order to maintain and enhance the quality of our superb science programs and to provide good spaces for good thinking and scientific practice, St. Olaf is planning to build a new Science Complex.
The building itself will be an expression of environmental thoughtfulness, as the college is committed to ecological design. St. Olaf's Facility Planning Guidelines commit us to:
- Fully consider energy systems, life cycles, water use, scale and location, light pollution, carbon generation, recycling and waste management, materials, community and product sources, community and regional impacts, transportation, aesthetics, indoor environmental quality, construction site management, viewsheds, open space, and other issues related to the campus, when planning, designing, and constructing buildings.
- Weigh the social, environmental, and health impacts on the students, staff, and faculty who work and play in, and maintain, the buildings and land, as well as the individuals involved in the construction of the buildings, care of the land, and the manufacture and disposal of the materials used on the campus.
- Emphasize the educational opportunities afforded by campus buildings and lands to teach students and the whole campus community about the connections between buildings and the environment and ways to live in a more sustainable fashion.
In planning for the Science Complex, we've constituted a "green team" of faculty, staff and students to consider all our opportunities for creating a building that fits within the natural world we study within the building. We have retained the Weidt Group as consultants for our ecological design. And we have received a $78,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation to help with the green design. Such planning capitalizes on innovations in the teaching of science too, such as the college's pathbreaking work in green chemistry. “In the end,” says St. Olaf Biology Professor Dave Van Wylen, “what you ideally want is a building that's green with a program that's green.”
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