Decarbonizing Historic Colleges Through Campus Design 05/05/23
Historic higher education campuses across the country are unique in that the buildings are old and energy inefficient, while simultaneously, the campuses are bursting with innovative students. Student involvement has long been missing from decision-making when it comes to upgrades to campus facilities and campus design. It is important for those designing the campuses to interface with the students who inhabit these college campuses, to maximize innovation. BLDUP recently spoke with Rebecca Berry, Principal, President, and Director of Sustainability at Finegold Alexander, and a lecturer at MIT to discuss how their firm works with students to inform the design process and the importance and thoughtfulness of upgrading college campuses to meet carbon commitments.
BLDUP: Can you provide a brief intro to/overview of your work decarbonizing college campuses? What campuses are you working on right now?
Rebecca Berry: Finegold Alexander works closely with clients and engineers to implement Climate Action Plans and Decarbonization goals. We provide streamlined and informed recommendations to enhance energy-efficiency and reduce carbon footprints of both existing buildings and new construction. We support and supplement larger engineering-led master plans, teaming on a regular basis with firms such as Salas O’Brien at Amherst College. We also serve as the prime on sustainability efforts, conducting feasibility studies that identify targeted interventions to push the needle on campus decarbonization goals. Our studies for Wellesley College’s Severance Hall, Tufts University’s Eaton Hall, and Brandeis University’s Brown Social Science Labs are being realized as built projects that will significantly improve the EUIs of these essential facilities that were constructed in earlier eras.
BLDUP: Can you tell me about FA Energy? How exactly is FA Energy helping campuses meet their carbon commitments?
Rebecca Berry: Our firm’s new division, FA Energy, was developed to assist universities in meeting their commitments toward a carbon-free future at all scales, from individual buildings to campus-wide or portfolio bases. We provide architectural support for engineering-led energy master plans, assessing existing and historic buildings for synergistic interventions in support of decarbonization goals. We’ve developed a streamlined process to help institutions make informed decisions that enhance energy-efficiency and reduce the carbon footprints of their existing buildings.
BLDUP: What are the main challenges that universities and colleges face in achieving carbon neutrality? And what are some of the approaches and strategies that you see as particularly effective?
Rebecca Berry: Every day more colleges and universities across the country are making greenhouse gas reduction and carbon neutrality goals. To reach these goals, they must tackle the problem of Scope 1 emissions (emissions from facilities and fleets). Existing buildings often create most of these emissions through their dependence on fossil fuels to produce energy for space heating, domestic hot water production, and building uses such as research laboratories. The task of identifying, prioritizing, and finding solutions for the challenges associated with energy production and numerous buildings of different eras, programmatic uses and MEP systems can be a daunting one.
This includes meticulous review of building envelopes for synergistic and energy saving modifications to support MEP systems changes. This may be building-specific, as has been the case at MIT’s Building 66, where we are providing concrete and actionable options, for potential replacement of the monumental plate glass windows. Minimizing the energy consumption of I.M. Pei’s pristine modernist building while at the same time preserving its streamlined design profiles gets to the heart of our passion for sustainable and affordable architectural solutions. We also help institutions like Amherst College and Smith College as they work to radically reduce carbon input for energy reduction through approaches such as low-temperature hot water loops, ground-source heat pumps and zero-emission renewable electricity.
BLDUP: How will FA Energy’s work have an impact on these campuses? What is the long-term legacy left by FA Energy?
Rebecca Berry: Decarbonization is key to addressing climate change. We hope that FA Energy continues to be part of the solution for campuses across the country.
BLDUP: Do you have any predictions for the future of the architecture and design industry? Will decarbonization become a greater focus?
Rebecca Berry: A game changer for the built environment is the Inflation Reduction Act. This act included $370 billion earmarked for investments to fight climate change. It will potentially provide all building owners and developers – including not-for-profits – with tax credits or direct payments for Green Energy Technology Investments. These technologies include solar, wind, solar thermal, geothermal and biogas. Owners can use these credits or direct payments to assist in financing these technologies for both new construction and deep energy retrofits. We are already having detailed conversations with our engineering partners and clients about how to take advantage of this significant federal investment.
Contributor Bio
We are a design collective focused on creating architecture for public, private and mission-driven organizations. Our approach to transformative design is to push the realm of possibility. We do it without lines between you and us—your problem is ours; without favoring “what ifs” or “must haves”—it’s both; without focusing on yesterday or tomorrow—it’s all relevant. Where others see obstacles, we look through them, removing perceived barriers and finding opportunities to shape the future. We believe that our future and that of the planet depends on sustainable, interdisciplinary, and collaborative achievements. Our projects, whether they are new construction or renovation, are integrated into their physical, cultural and environmental contexts. As pioneers of the adaptive use movement, our unique lens on the past informs the now and the ever after.
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