The Daily
Summary
The Applied Technology Building isn’t a very impressive structure from the standpoint of height. Most mornings, it is quite literally in the shadow of the Teachers College. Yet there is one aspect of the Applied Technology Building that sets it apart from most other buildings on campus — it is one of only seven buildings on campus with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating.
On campus, 16 buildings play a silent, often forgotten, role — emission reduction. It is no secret these buildings are LEED-certified, but the small plaques left to honor the accomplishment are easy to miss, and in some cases, not even displayed at all.
LEED is a rating system in which a building will earn points for environmentally-friendly design elements. This point system includes considerations for energy and water use, pollution reduction and various other design aspects.
Robert Koester, professor of architecture and director of Ball State’s Center for Energy Research, Education, and Service (CERES) has played a key role in keeping the university’s campus buildings eco-friendly.
Koester said one of the core factors in LEED certification is energy usage.
“If you build a more energy efficient building, [requiring] less energy to heat, cool and light, then some of the impact is local and some of it is regional,” Koester said. “You have [a] ripple effect, [starting] at the location of the building and then, further out in the region with reduction in demand for [oil or coal] power.”
In addition to being the director of CERES, Koester is also a founding chair of the campus Council on the Environment (COTE). According to COTE’s website, its goal is to provide leadership for initiatives that encourage sustainable use of resources and the protection of ecosystems.
Koester said the next big environmental goal for Ball State is to find a green alternative for the campus’ power needs.
“Our next step ... is to establish [a] virtual power purchase agreement with a developer somewhere out in the country who will construct either a solar farm or a wind farm [to] produce electrical power equal to the demand of our campus.”
Continue Reading
#MemberNewsIDEA
#News
#BallStateUniversity