Why Universities Need to Embrace Sustainability to Survive
01/21/2020
As Generation Z enters college, the environmental impact and sustainability issue is more top-of-mind than ever. Many historic colleges and universities are investing in costly new renovation and restoration projects to meet the demands of green construction and sustainability.
But why? FacilitiesNet outlines the importance of green construction for colleges and universities.
The Importance of Green Construction
The Human Experience
When fostering a community- and success-oriented environment that will attract and retain the most coveted student talent, campus planners must create spaces that encourage learning, foster collaboration, and focus on the human experience. Traditionally, higher education has been geared toward the needs of the professor and the institution. Now, the focus is shifting to the needs of the student. Instead of students figuring out how their new campus works, the institution can design the campus to achieve the highest possible success for a student. This is achieved through design elements centered around the student experience and a new approach to student space.
A prime example of this paradigm shift is the reimagining of the modern classroom. The traditional classroom is being flipped on its head and replaced by more student-focused learning environments. Communal spaces found on college campuses, such as libraries and dormitories, are becoming even more collaborative, with shared areas designed to foster dialogue and learning between those who live and work there. When walking into a modern college campus, the institution’s design makes it clear that most learning occurs outside the classroom — especially in the living-learning hybrid of the university experience.
Green is critical
The importance of sustainability in this new paradigm cannot be overstated. As issues of climate change loom, implementing green solutions into buildings, particularly on college campuses, is an effective strategy for increasing the lifespan of buildings and outdoor spaces. By using sustainable elements to spark creativity inside and outside the classroom, universities can influence how students learn, and teachers teach while decreasing the institution’s negative environmental impact. A more environmentally focused campus ensures stimulation for its student body from an intellectual, social, and civil perspective.
Generally speaking, universities are moving toward sustainable campus design as it is a better choice from a long-term operational perspective. Universities are always thinking about legacy. Buildings are one of the key ways universities maintain this legacy-focused perspective. The goal is to ensure that campus structures will last and become as iconic as the institution. As a result, typical approaches to university design will already lean toward sustainable practices when it comes to planning parking and bicycle and pedestrian access. Universities already seek durable materials designed to withstand time and high-traffic use. Sustainable elements are just now entering the consciousness of other companies and organizations and are already the norm for higher education institutions.
How to Achieve Green Construction and Sustainability
Demand for greener buildings and focus on student comfort doesn’t mean new construction. Renovation allows facilities to be updated to meet modern standards while having a better environmental impact. A study of buildings in Portland, Phoenix, Chicago, and Atlanta revealed that contrary to popular belief, the benefits of reusing and renovating buildings outweighed the benefits of constructing new energy-efficient structures. According to the study, a new building that is 30% more efficient than the average building takes 10 to 80 years to overcome the negative climate change impacts resulting from construction. In other words, making a building “greener” can be “greener” by re-using existing assets instead of starting from scratch.
At St. Cloud Window, we make it possible to re-use existing buildings to their full potential by:
- Replicating historic window profiles with custom, energy-efficiency, high-performance, aluminum windows.
- Using aluminum extrusions that are comprised of more than 70% recycled aluminum.
- Fully recycling all ‘cut off’ materials left over from fabrication.
Virtually every component used in St. Cloud Window products can be recycled beyond their OEM design.
For more ways to maximize your window requirements, check out our guide to choosing the right high-efficiency windows. High-efficiency windows can increase overall sustainability.