Aldo Leopold Legacy Center: the "Greenest Building on the Planet"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.23.07
That's what the US Green Building Council Prez said about the new Aldo Leopold Legacy Center when it presented its LEED Platinum certification. "This building does things that people are dreaming about," said council president Rick Fedrizzi. "There are people out there saying, 'Somehow, somewhere a building will be able to do that.' This building is doing it today."
Celebrating the life of Aldo Leopold, considered by many as the father of wildlife management and of the United States’ wilderness system, the Wisconsin building has an amazing list of features; Kubala Washatko Architects note:
-Underground earth tubes supply fresh, tempered air to the facility in all seasons;
-Wood was harvested onsite from trees originally planted by Aldo Leopold;
-the zero net energy building generates over 50,000 kWh of electricity annually.
There is lots of technical information on the site but not much about the actual architecture, and the website designer is so completely crop-crazy that I could not find a single decent picture of the building; the first picture is from the architect's website.
'The Legacy Center has a 39.6 kilowatt (kW) solar electric (photovoltaic) system on its roof, the second largest in Wisconsin. Our PV array consists of 198 panels and can generate 60,000 - 70,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. Each kWh equals the electricity used to keep a 100 watt light bulb lit for 10 hours."
"The design team thought carefully about the Legacy Center. They considered not only its energy efficient features and green design aspects, but worked meticulously through how the building would fit into the larger context of its local environment, the people who use it, and the landscape of rural Wisconsin: in short, the way the Legacy Center would inhabit its world."
"The pine trees Aldo Leopold and his family planted in 1935-1948 are a major building component in the Legacy Center. In the form of structural columns, beams, and trusses, as well as interior paneling and finish work, Leopold lumber is featured in all three of the Legacy Center buildings."
More information but not much in the picture department at ::Aldo Leopold Legacy Center
awesome, and i really wish a had the money to live in such a great house!
isn't it not greener to live in a yert out in Mongolia, technically greener, technically a building... why do you always carry such sensationalist headlines, cant you just report it for what it is.
they look like some great buildings and are inspirational but you dont need to present it in a competitive, 'greener than thou' style
Pure green. Beautiful integration of good passive solar design, green materials, and alternative and advanced technologies. Read a bit about Aldo Leopold. He is one to emulate.
'The earth tubes system contains 600 linear feet of 24” diameter cement pipe, very much like stormwater drainage pipe, laid over a 5,000 square foot area and buried about ten feet below the building. The sections are connected with a rubber gasket to prevent gases in the soil from leaching into the ventilation system. Permeability of the pipe allows evaporation of any water that condenses inside the tubes.'
---I would really like to see the design of these tubes. I have been considering for a long time installing an earth tube system, but I have yet to find a system design (that satisfies me) that can both deal with the problem of radon gas getting sucked into the pipes and then going into the house and moisture condensing in the tubes leading to the growth of mold and bacteria and then mold spores going into the house. Sealing out radon is easy but usually leads to condensation water buildup and then mold. And getting rid of moisture usually means openings in the tube to allow water to leach out, but these openings can suck in radon gas. Does this system really allow for condensation build-up to evaporate and eliminate mold growth. I know that fire-baked clay pots allow for evaporation of enclosed water within it due to the porous character of the material which allows water to get wicked into it. But I am wondering how porous these cement tubes are and how much evaporation can actually take place when the exterior of the pipes are surrounded by soil (unless the tubes are surrounded by thick layer of gravel) at 3 meters down. Also, if the pipes are able to allow water to wick through, do they really also block radon gas from getting sucked in? If this system works, I am desperate to get system design details.
How much did it cost, compared to a similar building that isn't so green? Would it be reasonable to build all new buildings like this?
No wind turbines?
Hmmm, disappointing.
PV is good, but costs an arm and a leg, pollutes tremendously being produced and can be hazardous. Wind is inexpensive, much more environmentally friendly and will amortize in a much faster time period.
Wind is capable of producing much more energy at a more environmentally friendly cost.
Lennon....
The quote that makes up the headline was taken from the President of the US Green Building Council...
That is not sensationalism...it is reporting for what is, a quote.
The shack and other buildings like it are likely the greenest buildings on the planet. The shack was however the 'touch stone' for the project. A building like the shack would not support the work that the good people of the Legacy Center do on a daily basis. A building with a higher level of thermal and moisture control is necessary.
The air tubes are greatly pitched, are porous and include a UV light filter and and higher merv filter to control air quality and organics. The tubes are large enough for inspection... at least large enough for a grad student..... there has been no signs of moisture so far..... There is a coil at the air handler connected to the geothermal system that helps to control humidity at the delivery air.
Wind works great in most cases.
Here's why it isn't a good idea for the ALLC:
1- Look at the landscape around it, it's forest. Constructing a turbine would require building it on a prairie and adding transmission lines.
2- The turbine might kill the Crane Foundation's recovering species (they're located just down the road).