On any given day, students and faculty walk down the wooded path to get to the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at . They are there for meetings, conferences or fireside discussions in the great room. They work on research papers and projects in the library, which is filled with natural light. While ethics is the subject of most of the work being done here, this facility fosters more than its share of intellectual productivity.

It’s one of those places Ted Fares describes simply as a comfortable place to be. Fares is director of facility management at and says The Institute for Ethics is a model for sustainable building projects on the 695-acre campus in (about 45 minutes west of ). Built by Shiel Sexton, it’s the first LEED-certified building on the campus of about 2,500 students, and it’s also the first new building in the state of to earn LEED Gold certification.

Focus on big picture, not pushing square pegs in round holes

From the start of the project, the team of university staff, facility planners, designers and contractors focused holistically on green design. They didn’t get hung up on what level certification the building should be, try to over-commit or force a design element that might not have been successful or been right for the project. Because of that mindset, many of the green elements fell into place and became a natural fit for the building and the environment.

The design and building team learned early on that there had to be a balance of design, function and sustainability. The building is tucked into a wooded area within DePauw’s 520-acre . Blending the facility into the natural surrounding was a priority.

While it’s a beautiful setting, it’s one that also caused challenges. After soil borings were studied, it was discovered that the hilltop site within the former quarry had served as a dumpsite for discarded limestone blocks and rock powder. The site still was settling, and proved to be unstable for building in its original condition. Easily, the university could have located a different site for the project, but instead, architects, contractors and engineers “recycled” the formerly unusable dumpsite. About 12 feet of topsoil had to be removed, much of which was re-compacted to stabilize the site to prepare for building.

“This became a sustainable design strategy,” said Randy Schumacher, AIA, LEED AP, with CSO Architects. “We reclaimed the quarry dumpsite, which had formerly been a scar on the Earth.”

With the site preparation complete, contractors faced additional challenges based on the tight building site. The challenges required careful planning, early coordination between the design and construction teams and daily monitoring. In order to minimize disturbance to the existing habitat, materials were staged on the closest surface lot, which is about 500 yards from the building site. Shiel Sexton designed a detailed logistical plan, which included daily sequencing of deliveries, coordination of delivery times and additional project management oversight, in order to keep the construction phase on schedule.

Multiple dumpsters were situated on the site for recycling construction waste; about 80 percent of construction materials were recycled.

What the site did offer was plenty of opportunities to use the environment to help reduce energy costs.

Energy savings about 55 percent

CSO Architects and Lake Flato/Architects studied lighting patterns on the site so the design could take advantage of natural light, which now floods the facility. In addition, the exterior walls and roof were designed to conserve energy and heat loss. Early results show an energy savings of about 55 percent. DePauw will continue to measure energy usage, maintenance and other factors to help analyze the true savings during the next five years, which is a much better test of a facility’s efficiency.

“It’s really the money you spend between the walls that makes the biggest difference,” Fares said.

Energy savings include:

• Structural insulated panels were used to increase the R-value of the walls. While the initial investment was higher, the overall energy performance outweighs the cost difference.
• The building was designed in smaller segments, rather than a large, rectangular footprint. This not only allowed for more opportunity to bring in natural light, but it also provides views and vistas, which make a large building appear much more intimate.
• Motion detectors inside the facility automatically turn off lights in unused areas.
• Heat recovery systems were put in place, and damper systems installed to increase the flow of outside air inside the building.
• Settling basins were designed to capture and treat rainwater through the use of native plant materials.

Materials selection

Use what you know. It’s often that simple. The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics was built on top of a stone quarry, and is located in central where limestone is plentiful. Regional materials, such as large pieces of “roughback” limestone were used both on the exterior and interior of the 22,800-square-foot facility.

Because some of the rooms feature soaring ceilings with exposed beams, some of the mechanicals were trenched into the floor. Green materials used throughout the structure include water-based adhesive and paints, sustainable carpets, recycled steel and concrete made with fly ash.

Universities are taking leadership in LEED

Colleges around the country, including , are making big gains when it comes to sustainable building practices. About two years ago, DePauw University President Robert G. Bottoms initiated DePauw’s commitment to sustainable design. The first building under that new standard and commitment was the Institute for Ethics. Coincidentally when Janet Prindle, a DePauw alum, came forward to fund the facility, she too insisted that it be a green building.

Administrators have seen a shift in students’ interest in green design. Incoming students are more environmentally conscious and expect higher education institutions to be environmental stewards. Five years ago, prospective students would visit campus and ask questions about academics, faculty and athletics. Today, about 25 percent want to know about the school’s sustainable design programs. That interest among its students and alumni are helping spurring green development projects on campuses nationwide.

DePauw already is at work on more facilities. The , which houses the Institute for Ethics, achieved LEED Gold certification. Two more projects on campus also are being designed now for LEED certification.

Will they achieve LEED Gold? It’s too early to tell. The design team instead is focused on sustainable design that meets the needs of the private liberal arts university and its 2,500 students and faculty.

Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics

Building completion: Fall 2007

Square feet: 22,800

Project cost: $11.8 million

LEED Certification: New Construction Gold 2.2

Contractor: Shiel Sexton

Architects: Lake/Flato Architects and CSO Architects, Inc.

Engineering: L’Acquis Consulting, Lynch Harrison and Brumleve and Schneider Corp.

Interior design: CSO Architects