Days before it was scheduled to be officially dedicated last October, Markim Hall, home of the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., received LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, becoming the first higher education facility in Minnesota — and one of only a handful nationally — to earn that distinction.

“Achieving LEED Platinum status underscores Macalester’s commitment to sustainability,” says Macalester President Brian Rosenberg. “Markim Hall is a place where form and function come together as we prepare students to be global citizens, and we’re honored to have achieved LEED Platinum certification.”

Established in 2005, the Institute for Global Citizenship is a campuswide initiative to expand the college’s distinctive tradition of engagement and academic excellence, promoting learning, scholarship, civic engagement, and global leadership locally, nationally and internationally. 

Markim Hall’s sustainable features include reduced energy and water use, excellent indoor air quality, recycled and local materials used in construction and furnishings, native landscaping, innovative stormwater management, and public education.

“The project team used integrated design to promote sustainability on and around the site, reduce energy and water use, improve indoor environmental quality, and use green building materials,” Rosenberg says.

The building envelope is super-insulated, with R-40 walls and an R-60 roof (local building codes require R-14 for walls and R-22 for roofs). There are eight inches of spray-foam insulation in the wall cavity. Windows on the north, east, and west façades, as well as in the lobby and skylight are triple-glazed and use low-E glass. Windows in the offices are double-glazed with low-E glass. Heating and cooling are provided by a hydronic (water-based) system that uses radiant ceiling panels, and the building is connected to the campus central plant for chilled water and steam. An enthalpy wheel preheats or cools incoming air. In addition, Macalester College is purchasing carbon offsets to cover all of Markim Hall’s heating, cooling and electricity consumption. The building also uses low-flow fixtures and dual-flush toilets. 

Current building performance measures show:

• Water use is only 16 percent that of a standard building in Macalester’s climate;


• Electricity use is 50 percent of a standard building in Macalester’s climate; and


• The calculated CO2 emissions from electricity and heating/cooling are 51 percent of that of a typical building.

Building materials were selected to promote excellent indoor air quality. Low- or zero-VOC paints, carpets, sealants, wood products and furniture were specified. All of the furniture is certified by the GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality program. In addition, the building and furnishings were given a ventilation period for residual off-gassing prior to occupancy. 

The design team focused on using recycled and local materials for the floor and glass mosaic tiles, gypsum wallboard, windowsills, wood, outside building stone, plants and permeable paver walkways. Roof runoff is directed to underground perforated pipes.

The building’s electricity, water and calculated greenhouse gas emissions are tracked and used as an educational tool through a kiosk in the lobby and online at igc.macalester.greentouchscreen.com.

During Markim Hall’s first year of operation, staff led 69 tours showing the building to 2,085 people. A self-guided tour of the sustainability features is also available in the building lobby.

Markim Hall has received several awards, including the “Building of America Award” sponsored by Construction Communications and an award from American School & University magazine. Macalester College has also received the Trane “Energy Efficiency Leader in Education Award.”

Markim Hall, Macalester College

Cost: $7.5 Million

Cost Per Square Foot: $341

Size: 17,000 Square Feet

Completion Date: May 2009



Project Team

Architect: Bruner/Cott & Associates Inc.,Cambridge, Mass.

Construction: McGough Companies, St. Paul, Minn.

MEP/HVAC: van Zelm Heywood & Shadford Inc., Hartford, Conn., and Charlotte, N.C.

Structural Engineers: BKBM Engineers, Minneapolis

Landscaping: Close Landscape Architecture, Minneapolis



Materials

Flooring Tile: Oceanside Glasstile (Tessera Mosaic Blend, Shire, Moroccan Desert, Harvest Iridescent); Allumillenium brushed aluminum tile; Flor Gres (Ecotech Pavers, EcoDark structured/slate texture); Carpeting: Patcraft carpet tiles (Velvet).

Ceilings: Armstrong (Metalworks Vector); acoustical panel by Wall Technology (New Dimensions)

Wood: Custom Millwork - FSC-certified American cherry, western red cedar

Roofing: Carlisle Roofing Inc., built-up with white reflective top coating

HVAC Systems: air handler by McQuay Inc.; wrap-around heat pipe by Heat Pipe Technologies Inc.; rotary air-to-air heat exchanger, enthalpy recovery wheel by Heat Wheel; chilled sails CSA/radiant ceiling panels,  by Price   

Interior Finishes: Bio-Fiber Cabinets by Environ Biocomposites (Dakota Burl); countertop by ShetkaStone (Northern Lights Black)

Paints: PPG (no-VOC paint and coatings)

Energy Efficiency: Blower Door Array: The Energy Conservatory (Model 3 Minneapolis); Touchscreen Display: Quality Attributes Software (GreenTouchscreen)

Building Envelope: limestone cladding - Valders Stone & Marble Inc. (gray, split face); calcium silicate masonry - Arriscraft International (Renaissance Masonry Units, white, smooth); exterior red cedar cladding - Aaron Carlson Corp. (3/4-inch shiplap western red cedar plank); spray polyurethane foam insulation - BASF (WALLTITE); seamed copper cladding - MG McGrath; RHEINZINK (20 oz); seamed zinc cladding - MG McGrath (pre-weathered graphite grey, 0.8 mm); anodized aluminum cladding - MG McGrath (0.040; 0.125, anodic champagne); aluminum-clad windows - H Window (H204 Series awning; triple-glazed, low-E, argon-filled); anodized aluminum; sunshades - MG McGrath, industrial louvers (custom, anodic champagne); exterior brick pavers - Borgert Products Inc.(Aqua-Bric, pewter).

Plumbing Fixtures: dual-flush toilets by Caroma Inc.

Landscaping: benches - Landscape Forms (Sonoma, FSC-certified redwood); native plantings include little blue stem, rattlesnake master, prairie blazingstar, prairie dropseed, prairie smoke, Panicum – heavy metal, calico aster, showy solidago, sumac, and native forbs and grasses.



Barbara K. Laskin is the media relations manager at Macalaster College, and Suzanne Savanick Hansen is the sustainability manager at Macalester College.