Inside Iowa State

Sep. 7, 2007

College of Design breaks ground for north addition this week

by Teddi Barron, News Service

A ceremonial ground-breaking for the pavilion addition to the College of Design building begins at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, on the north side of the building.

Among the speakers are Iowa State alumni Steven and Barbara King (both class of '68), who provided the lead gift of $1.5 million for the new $6.25 million, two-story facility. This is the largest outright commitment ever made to the College of Design.

In 1971, the Kings founded Landscape Structures Inc., a children's play equipment company based in Delano, Minn. The company has become an industry leader in safe, sustainable design practices.

Construction of the 23,500-gross-square-foot pavilion will begin later this year. It will be completed and the building occupied in early 2009.

The first new "green" structure on campus, the addition will use energy-saving techniques, such as natural ventilation, daylighting, storm-water control with a "living" roof, unique site design and recycled building materials.

During its renovation in 2005 and 2006, Morrill Hall also received attention for some green building features, including gallery floors made from the more renewable bamboo plant, bathroom countertops made from recycled glass and rubber roof tiles that will last up to 75 years.

What's in the new space?

When completed, the new Design facility will feature a central, two-story forum surrounded by instructional studios on all sides. The project also includes breakout lecture and critique spaces, enhanced model work room and shop, recycling center and spray room. The space will be home primarily to freshman students in the college's Core Design Program, as well as sophomore students in the first year of their professional programs.

"The pavilion will finally make the collegiate community 'whole' with a contiguous set of studios for our entering students," said college dean Mark Engelbrecht. "At the same time, the addition and surrounding gardens will provide a living laboratory for the study of sustainable design practices that will prove useful to the larger collegiate enterprise, and, we hope, to the university community generally."

Of the $6.25 million total cost of the new pavilion, $3.25 million is from private gifts. The remainder is from college and university sources.

Some of the "green" features in the Design addition:

• Instead of air conditioning, natural ventilation and an evening ventilation cycle will cool the studio spaces, which will not be used in summer.
• A vegetated "green" roof will lower cooling costs, extend the roof's life expectancy, reduce storm-water discharge and reduce the "heat island" effect. Green roofs provide natural air filtration and create oxygen through photosynthesis. A variety of hardy trees and plants will grow on the roof.
• The site around the building will be developed to demonstrate water-retention techniques that allow the water to percolate into the soil instead of being piped into storm sewers. Two water holding cells will be covered by permeable pavers to create patios.
• During construction, waste produced by the building process will be recycled. The goal is to recycle at least 95 percent of all waste generated.