Discovery Center plans for 'green' building expansion

While few details for the $3.7 million expansion have been resolved, what is known is that the Discovery Center plans to have the expansion LEED certified. LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification is provided through the U.S. Green Building Council.

With green or environmentally sound building, Fox said, "There are more considerations because it broadens your choices."

Discovery Center plans to start the 15-month construction project Oct. 1. The general contract is DeWitt & Associates Inc., Fox said. Malone Finkle Eckhardt and Collins Inc. is the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer, and Mettemeyer Engineering is the structural engineer. The architect is H Design Group LLC.

LEED certification is granted to buildings that adhere to specific guidelines.

"The process guides your choices a bit. It not only affects the building itself but outside of the building as well. What are you doing with (water) run-off? Are you providing green (space)? And regarding transportation, are you on public transportation routes? Do you provide bike racks? The considerations within the building include the types of materials used carpet, paint, roofing and insulation. In every aspect of this building, we hope to incorporate green," Fox said.

Sustainability of energy use is another major consideration. "The type of HVAC system we use is very important. Also the type of windows we use and how we use day lighting will help us keep down our energy cost and consumption. And it will help with our employees and visitors. Everyone feels better when it's sunny then when they are stuck under fluorescent lighting," said Fox.

She added that before implementing these considerations, Discovery Center (as would any green builder) will have to perform a comprehensive energy analysis.

Jason Hainline, director of green building services at the Springfield office of Environmental Marketing Systems Inc., is a consultant on the Discovery Center project.

"We are a firm that really blurs the lines between architecture and engineering because what we are doing is integrating those fields to create more sustainable projects," said Hainline.

EMSI will be conducting the energy analysis for Discovery Center. "We will be doing energy analysis as well as daylight coordination. In the Discovery Center's case, a mechanical engineer will be conducting the (energy) analysis. We first create a model using base building assumptions because we do not have a design for this building yet. We run tests on that and it starts to show us where there are opportunities to change values such as insulation, mechanical system specs, lighting quality. Finally for the LEED certification, after the project is complete, we will analyze the building that was built and be able to show how much more efficient it is from an energy cost standpoint, and that equates to LEED points," Hainline said.

While green buildings will save operating costs eventually, when that return will offset the initial cost varies from building to building.

"It depends on so many issues that it would be difficult to say generally. Sometimes there is no difference in initial costs. For a building like the Discovery Center, the initial cost will probably be offset in 10 to 15 years. They are planning on being there for a while. For some office buildings, it's five years. Some types of businesses, like health care centers, which plan to be in a certain location for many years, plan for returns as far out as 100 years," said Bartlomiej Sapeta, a LEED-accredited architect at Butler, Rosenbury & Partners.

One of the most daunting misconceptions green advocates face is that building green is inherently more costly to the builder.

"Most of the major manufacturers have a line of products that is more sustainable, so that is less of an issue," said Hainline. Sapeta added that a well-designed green building may actually be less costly than its more conventional counterparts.

"I went through a Herman Miller plant in Michigan. It is an office furniture manufacturing plant. They built a green building last year. The cost of a typical building was $135 per square foot. The building that they got was $85 per square foot. It was 35 percent cheaper, it consumes 25 percent less energy, and the air quality inside is much better compared to their old building. What it took was a lot of effort from the manufacturers, the designers and the company to get together and develop it. I think the main issue in all of this is cooperation."

Fox said Discovery Center did increase the initial budget of $2.8 million to $3.7 million upon the decision to go green, but the actual cost of the building is still unknown. " At this point, it is difficult to say what the cost will be. We increased our budget due to the fact that we may have to spend more on materials and fees, also the way we want to present this building will add some cost because we want to exhibit the green features to educate the public," said Fox.

As Discovery Center is one of the few green projects in the Springfield area, LEED advocates are eager for the educational promise it holds.

"It is really going to raise the awareness in this area," Hainline said. "If it's done correctly it will demonstrate to people that a green building doesn't have to cost significantly more for people to reap the benefits that it can provide."[[In-content Ad]]