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Construction begins on Catawba River for environment facility

BY JUANITA BOUSER
SALISBURY POST

“This building symbolizes the essence of our program,” says Dr. John Wear Jr., director of the Center for the Environment. “It is a laboratory in and of itself.”

Wear notes that he and Karen Alexander, the architect for the project:

• Interviewed the people who will use the facility before beginning the planning process.
• Team-taught a class in sustainable architecture that allowed students to research recycled and recyclable construction materials as well as environmentally friendly technology.
• Solicited input from officials in organizations that are working with the center in conservation efforts.

“This facility is not just a building,” Wear says. “It embodies the spirit of the program.”

Wagoner Construction Co. of Salisbury will build the $4 million center at the edge of the college’s 189-acre ecological preserve.

Alexander has positioned the building for the most efficient use of natural conditions. The building is oriented to capitalize on natural light, but large overhangs on the southeastern side reduce the heat from the sun in the summer. An existing bluff will shield it from northern winds, and its placement on the site allows for minimal disturbance of the environment.

Some trees and shrubs will be moved and reinstalled after the building is complete. Those trees that cannot be reinstalled will be chopped up on the site and used for mulch.

The building uses recycled materials. The carpet, for example, has a 100 percent recycled back, and some of the products that make up the outer fibers are also recycled. In addition, sections can be replaced without removing the entire carpet. “It is in the form of carpet tiles,” Alexander says, “so if a particular area of the carpet gets more use, then those tiles can be rotated away from that area, and new tiles can be installed.”

The college will use sustainably grown wood for the facility.

“We will use bamboo flooring because bamboo grows very rapidly,” Alexander says. “We’re not going to be cutting down the rain forest to get our floor products.”

The contractor will use energy-efficient glass; paint, wall covering and stains that meet criteria set by the Environmental Protection Agency; insulation made from recycled newspaper; ceiling tiles manufactured for noise reduction and light reflection; and an environmentally friendly ground-source heat pump, which has low carbon dioxide emissions and low overall environmental costs.

The heating and air conditioning system as well as light fixtures will have occupancy sensors that will automatically turn off the systems in a space if no one is present. Photo cells also will control the artificial light.

“As natural light comes in, the artificial light goes down,” Alexander says.

The elevator in the building will use electric traction, rather than hydraulic fluids, and will also be energy efficient.

Photovoltaic cells will capture solar energy, which will be used in the building. In addition, Wear hopes eventually to use electric vehicles powered by solar energy in the ecological preserve.

The college has committed to a construction waste management program for the project, which will dispose of construction debris by sending it back to the manufacturer for recycling or to recycling companies. Wagoner Construction will use environmental science students to coordinate the recycling efforts.

“Catawba is taking the lead,” Alexander says. “It is showing how a small college can make a big statement about the importance of building carefully.”

Wear notes that the building epitomizes the mission of the Center for the Environment: to involve the college and its students in programs and activities that foster environmental stewardship.

“The college is making a substantial commitment to the environment with this facility,” Wear says. “This will be a building that represents now and to future generations the commitment of Catawba College to the conservation and sustainable use of the earth’s resources.”