Tour reveals new Gilman will be greener and brighter
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Kajic led this reporter through Gilman demonstrating specific changes that have been made to the building to make it more accessible and environmentally friendly, as well as restorative upgrades designed to maintain the historical charm of the building.
The building's renovations are on track to be complete by summer 2010, to allow use during the fall 2010 semester. "It will be ready for the fall [2010] academic semester, and I think the official ceremony won't be until October at a Trustees' meeting, but that is yet to be determined," Kajic said.
The building is also on track to gain a Silver LEED Certification from the United States Green Building Council. The silver certification is above bronze certification, but below gold and platinum level certification.
"Gilman is the first renovated building on the Homewood campus that is attaining a LEED certification," Kajic said.
The LEED certification is a holistic process that awards points for many different things. Gilman will utilize cutting-edge technology to attain its ranking.
"We're putting in energy efficient systems that are controlled through smart controls and occupancy sensors. If somebody is in their office and they leave and they forget to turn off their lights or heat, that will go off if it's not occupied for a period of time. So we're not wasting energy," Kajic said.
A new mechanical basement was dug.
Lighting levels will automatically adjust based on ambient light. "We are also, in certain areas of the building, where there's a lot of light coming in, such as the Hut and perimeter offices doing daylight harvesting. Daylight harvesting sees the amount of natural light coming into a space and starts to slowly dim your lights, so you're having energy reductions there," Kajic said.
Electricity isn't the only utility that will be saved. "We're putting low flow toilettes in the building-so we're achieving water savings," Kajic said.
No project is truly green without recycling. "We're reusing some materials. The stacks had marble in the aisle ways and we are going to reuse that in the new atrium's floor," Kajic said referring to the five story high book stacks that flanked both the Hut and Donovan Room.
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