The new building will be very energy efficient, but it won’t sacrifice functionality to that end.

Eric Downing
Web editor and fun page coordinator

The new Met department may be greener than Vail, but not so green that study is hindered.

Imagine a meteorology student looking out the window to see what the clouds outside are doing and only seeing a large white shade.

That might have been the case if changes weren’t made to the design of the new building being constructed in Vail. The diagram printed on the front page of The Critic earlier this semester is no longer accurate. The large white shades hanging over the windows haven’t made it to the final design, as it became evident that it would be difficult for meteorology students to look out the windows to study cloud formations.

The shades were originally designed to keep sunlight from overheating the building in the warmer months. Tom Archer, director of physical plant at Lyndon State College, as well as a board member of the sustainability committee said that the new building is being specifically designed to be “greener” than the existing buildings on campus.
Archer listed off a few of the features to expect in the new building, including water-saving faucets, LED lights, and having heat be piped over from Vail’s boiler in the milder months of April and May.

“All these things will help,” Archer said, referring to the reduction of LSC’s carbon footprint.

Having a certain degree of efficiency will allow LSC to shoot for a “silver” certification with the Green Building Rating System™ Leadership Environment Energy and Design, or LEED. LEED is, as stated on the U.S. Green Building Council’s website, usgbc.org: “a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.”
A building can earn a certain number of points toward a credit, which is divided into different colors such as gold or platinum. That building earns points based on certain criteria that it meets.

“I know we can get silver,” Archer said.

It actually costs money to become certified. This is coupled with needing to pay an architect more to work harder to ensure that the building meets the requirements. The benefits for acquiring this certification includes energy savings and better public relations as people knowing for sure that the building is as efficient as claimed.
LEED certification has another more indirect benefit. Efficiency Vermont gives credits toward measures taken to green up.

Archer said he’d even like to see some solar panels on campus, although pointing out that they wouldn’t be able to provide much energy.
“Payback is not initially great, but it’s a great educational tool,” he said.