Massry receives "green" Gold award
Saint Rose art building recognized for eco-friendly design
Elizabeth Delaney
Issue date: 1/20/10 Section: News
The Massry Center for the Arts has numerous Earth-friendly features with its geothermal environmental control system at the heart of the building, which costs approximately $300,000 more than a conventional HVAC. This system ventilates and cools the building without the use of a noisy cooling tower and the burning of fossil fuels. The HVAC system uses 40 wells, each reaching 450 feet below the Earth's surface in order to keep the building at an adequate temperature. In order to develop the geothermal system, The College of Saint Rose received $137,650 for financial support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The system is expected to make the building 48 percent more energy efficient than a traditionally constructed building.
According to a press release, President and CEO of NYSERDA Francis J. Murray Jr. said, "NYSERDA is proud to partner with Saint Rose in its green building project and applaud the college for investing in energy efficiency measures that will reduce its carbon footprint. By making this concrete commitment to energy efficiency, Saint Rose is setting an example for other colleges and institutions and helping New York realize Governor David Paterson's vision of a cleaner, healthier New York in the future."
Along the newly designed heating and cooling system, 35 percent of the building's electricity is supplied by wind or water power, and a significant amount of recycled building material was used in it's construction, including 78 percent of the steel frame, 70 percent of the wallboard and 15 percent of the concrete. During the assembly of The Massry Center, 98 percent of the waste generated during construction was recycled as well, and the structure uses water-saving low-flow fixtures throughout. The asphalt from the old parking lot was used for the new parking lot while the rest of the bricks and drywall that were leftover were transported to the Port of Albany to be recycled. While examining the building from the outside, it is apparent that a majority of the structure is composed of glass. The use of these large windows helps to harvest natural light, which automatically cuts down on artificial lighting within classrooms and practice rooms.
According to a press release, President and CEO of NYSERDA Francis J. Murray Jr. said, "NYSERDA is proud to partner with Saint Rose in its green building project and applaud the college for investing in energy efficiency measures that will reduce its carbon footprint. By making this concrete commitment to energy efficiency, Saint Rose is setting an example for other colleges and institutions and helping New York realize Governor David Paterson's vision of a cleaner, healthier New York in the future."
Along the newly designed heating and cooling system, 35 percent of the building's electricity is supplied by wind or water power, and a significant amount of recycled building material was used in it's construction, including 78 percent of the steel frame, 70 percent of the wallboard and 15 percent of the concrete. During the assembly of The Massry Center, 98 percent of the waste generated during construction was recycled as well, and the structure uses water-saving low-flow fixtures throughout. The asphalt from the old parking lot was used for the new parking lot while the rest of the bricks and drywall that were leftover were transported to the Port of Albany to be recycled. While examining the building from the outside, it is apparent that a majority of the structure is composed of glass. The use of these large windows helps to harvest natural light, which automatically cuts down on artificial lighting within classrooms and practice rooms.
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