flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Western Washington University will be home to Washington State’s first carbon neutral college building

Sustainability

Western Washington University will be home to Washington State’s first carbon neutral college building

Perkins&Will is designing the building.


By David Malone, Managing Editor | February 7, 2022
WWU carbon neutral building
Images courtesy Perkins&Will

Western Washington University is in the final stages of its capital campaign to raise funds for the construction of a new computer science and engineering facility that will include the first net-zero energy/carbon neutral building on a college campus in Washington state.

Designed by Perkins&Will and located on the south end of the main campus, the building will house the university’s advanced technology and engineering programs, including electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and the Institute for Energy Studies, as well as a multicultural student center. The mass timber facility will include a welcoming, accessible layout meant to accommodate an increasingly diverse population of students and support the learning styles of all.

WWU carbon neutral building interior

Sustainability features will include:

  • 100% of the energy consumed by the building will be renewable 
  • Advanced battery technology to provide on-site energy storage
  • Architectural design that includes a high efficiency energy envelope and maximizes illumination and shading
  • High embodied carbon structure through sustainably sourced Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)
  • Smart Building technologies and controls, as well as high efficiency electric heating and cooling
  • A construction management process that reduces waste and transportation inefficiency

“The building will represent the next generation of STEM facilities, merging electrical engineering and computer science learning with active industry engagement and collaboration,” said Anthony Gianopoulos, Principal and Operations Director at Perkins&Will, in a release. 

 

Related Stories

Sustainability | Apr 4, 2017

Six connected CLT towers create an urban forest in India

The mixed-use towers would each rise 36 stories into the sky and connect via rooftop skybridges.

Urban Planning | Apr 3, 2017

Capturing the waterfront draw

People seem to experience a gravitation toward the water’s edge acutely and we traverse concrete and asphalt just to gaze out over an open expanse or to dip our toes in the blue stuff.

Mixed-Use | Mar 27, 2017

The Plant brings terrace-to-table living to Toronto

Curated Properties and Windmill Developments have teamed up to create a mixed-use building with food as the crux of the project.

Sustainability | Feb 28, 2017

Workplace wellbeing

Organizations are starting to realize that there are benefits to addressing employee wellbeing.

Sustainability | Feb 20, 2017

‘Forest cities’ could help solve China’s air pollution problem

The architect behind China’s first vertical forest skyscraper has bigger plans for entire cities filled with vertical forests.

Green | Feb 6, 2017

A to Z: Seoul’s elevated park features 24,000 alphabetized plants

The plants will represent 250 species found in South Korea.

Green | Feb 3, 2017

Nanjing Green Towers will be Asia’s first vertical forest

The project will be covered in 1,100 trees and 2,500 cascading plants and shrubs.

Sustainability | Jan 27, 2017

An office building proposed for Norway would generate more power than it uses

Over it’s 60-year lifespan, the power generated form the project would cover the energy cost of construction, production, and material transportation.

Sustainability | Jan 24, 2017

From an industrial park to an eco-neighborhood in Brussels, Belgium

At the heart of Vincent Callebaut Architectures’ eco-neighborhood will be three 100-meter-tall Vertical Forests.

Sustainability | Jan 19, 2017

How NYC is slashing 80% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

To help one of the most complex cities in the world develop an actionable strategy to meet visionary GHG reduction goals, we focused on strategies for deep carbon reductions for the city’s entire building stock, which constitutes 73% of citywide emissions, writes HDR's Jennifer Bienemann.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Sustainable Design and Construction

Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure

Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021