Chem 124: Green Building Final Project


One of the goals of this course is to get you to think about the environmental impact of buildings on the earth and explore some of the ways some knowledge of chemistry can assist one's understanding of the issues that intersect with the construction or remodeling of a structure.  As St. Olaf College looks to build and renovate components of its facilities over the next few decades, we can learn about and explore the chemical and environmental impacts buildings make.   Simultaneously  we will assist the college decision-makers so that the various projects become more sustainable and the campus becomes a "greener" space.  In the future, you may be a building owner or become involved in building/remodeling projects in your community.  Knowledge and insight gained about the nature of chemistry and the impact of buildings on the earth will assist your own decision-making.
 

Scope

Use the Environmental Impact Questionnaire (EIQ) provided in the Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide as an organizational tool in which to investigate the suitability of materials for the construction and renovation of facilities on the St. Olaf College campus.  Our class projects will emphasize the interiors of a building, more specifically those items involved in floor coverings, ceilings, walls, and furnishings.  Each project will culminate in a public oral poster presentation and a written report that will resulting in a product or material recommendation based on the research conducted.  College decision-makers will be invited to attend the poster presentations and copies (either paper or electronic) of the written reports will be available to them upon request.   To view completed reports, click here!
 
 

Organization

The Group:  Three or four students will be assembled to work together on a project topic.  All group members are expected to fully participate in all facets of the project, from research to writing to presenting.  Group members will have the opportunity to evaluate each other's level of participation as a component of the project grade.

Project Topics:  The group will select a general project topic from the list below or propose their own topic with prior approval from the course instructor.  The topics listed below are related to the interiors of buildings and span a rich variety of materials; consequently, it will be important to narrow the topic.

Groups will want to discuss their topic choice with the instructor in order to narrow the focus appropriately.  For example, if a group is interested in ADHESIVES....Just what kind of adhesives are we going to consider?  What will it's purpose be?  Let's consider carpet adhesives.  Perhaps there are two kinds of carpet adhesives, ones that are pre-applied to the backing of the carpet or ones that are first spread on the floor prior to application of the carpet.  In each case, there will be subcategorizes of the adhesive - an industry standard (most frequently used by those in the trade), a low VOC type (emits fewer chemicals over time, perhaps made from renewable resources), and a zero emission adhesive (no chemical emissions over time, perhaps water-based).

One way to sufficiently narrow your investigation might be to contact people in the trade (on-campus and off-campus) for specific examples of spreadable carpet adhesives.  You then select 3-5 of these adhesives to investigate farther and build your report.

Environmental Impact Questionnaire (EIQ):  The Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide provides an Environmental Impact Questionnaire for people specifying the characteristics of products/materials to be used in a building/renovation project.  The EIQ is intended to be a guide for researching environmental issues relative to building products.  Issues are organized under three primary categories:  resource management, toxicity, and performance.  Your group will use this to focus your research efforts on a particular topic.  Some of the information in the EIQ may be very difficult to obtain - don't fret, persevere to get as much as you can, but don't be afraid to ask for additional information as well!

Possible Contacts or Resources:  The following people or groups may be able to help you with your project topic.

The Written Report

The Oral Poster Presentation

A poster presentation is one of the vehicles scientists use to convey information to others.  The main emphasis of a poster is to convey a story to the audience and to do so at a level appropriate to the audience.  Be careful to use color wisely and try to keep the wording to a minimum.  Unlike a paper, bulleted lists and sentence fragments are critical components of a good poster.  Take a look at posters scattered throughout the science center to get ideas about what makes a poster visually appealing.

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