Alter Hall Sustainability Story—Part 2
February 2015
A building that demonstrates human capacity for restoring the health of
the environment while working, learning and growing.
As everyone on campus watched the building envelope go up on Alter Hall during the fall and
winter, various constituencies on campus met many times to discuss a variety of interior and
exterior components—all of which make for a good second look at the sustainability features of
our newest academic building.
The southern exterior of the building along the St. Ignatius steps will capture rain from the roof
of the building to support a variety of plants, including a small bog garden. Biology faculty have
been included in the planning for this water feature for over a year now and four professors in
five different classes have indicated an interest in using the demonstration garden as part of their
class learning. Some of the possible uses include: sampling water quality at the inlet and outlet;
collecting insect and plant samples for lab examination, and demonstration of a way to reduce
storm water flow into the sewer system. We hope this will be the beginning of engagement with
the building itself as a way to learn about a variety of disciplines, about learning itself, and our
students’ and our communities’ place in the broader ecosystems.
On the east side of the building near Hailstone Hall, prairie grass similar to the prairie grass
along the greensward will be planted. Our campus prairies feature little bluestem grass and a
variety of shorter flowering plants to attract bees and butterflies and to maintain safe corridors
for the campus.
Inside, decisions about carpet and furniture required keeping multiple priorities in mind. Look
for more on these features in the final Alter Hall Sustainability Story.
As mentioned in Part 1 of this story, a series of Guiding Principles were at the foundation of
planning for the new building. The table below identifies the goals for the building on the left
and the ways in which these goals have been met (or in one case not been met) on the right. The
building reaches a new level of green building for Xavier, satisfying the criteria of LEED gold
standard. LEED is an industry standard for building sustainably. We will not have the building
LEED certified because of the cost involved. Xavier has consistently chosen to use the money
that might have gone to certification for building costs. This building is a significant statement of
Xavier’s commitment to sustainability.
GOALS
Principle 1. Educating the Whole Person
Provide an environment that contributes to rather
than distracts from teaching and learning.
BUILDING FEATURES
30 of the 33 classrooms and all of the offices
have daylighting that exceed LEED gold
requirements.
Provide a healthy environment with excellent air The paint, furnishings, etc. are all low
quality that promotes the wellbeing of the
emission for volatile organic compounds
occupants.
(VOCs). Operable windows allow for user
control and a more intimate connection with
the outdoors. The air handling system not
only energy efficient, it provides much
greater outdoor airflow than the original
systems.
Include welcoming spaces and space for prayer
All the outdoor landscaping will be
and meditation in physical and visual proximity
composed of native, drought-hardy plants. A
to plants and natural settings.
rain garden and bog garden along the St.
Ignatius steps will provide running water
and a variety of plant life.
Provide inspiration to the human spirit and
Many of the features mentioned above will
restoration to our broken world through
contribute to restoring links between humans
innovative design that embodies a harmonious
and creation—operable windows, native
relationship between humans and creation.
plants, daylighting, etc.
Principle 2. Goals for right relationship and responsible stewardship of natural and
financial resources
Produce as much or more energy as consumed
It was determined that given the high
through innovative combinations of sustainable
efficiency of the Central Utility Plant that
technologies (including but not limited to
serves Alter Hall, investing in alternative
energy-efficient design, geothermal heating and
forms of energy for the building was not
cooling and solar energy).
feasible.
Protect the environment and conserve natural
The energy used by this building is projected
resources through the use of recycled or
to be near 40kbtu/sf annually. This figure is
recyclable materials and reuse of building water in less than half of the average building on
and other materials that flow through the
building
campus and is in line with some of the most
energy efficient buildings in the country or
35-40% below the industry benchmark.
Optimize financial resources by maximizing the The renovation is designed to support the
lifespan of the facility through a design that is
academic mission by using durable materials
both durable and flexible.
for a minimum of fifty years.
Principle 3. The built environment will contribute to the health and well-being of Xavier’s
neighborhood, city, and region, including greater biodiversity, a deeper understanding of
culture and place, and additional outlets for beauty and personal expression.
Foster human movement to and from the
Access and egress to and from the building to
building through accessible paths and bike routes campus has been greatly enhanced on both
with close connections to public transit.
ends of the building. Additional bike racks
will be installed as well. Shower facilities
will also be available for bikers needing a
place to bath after a long commute.
Contribute to the betterment of our city and
The building will utilize 100% LED lighting.
region by modeling excellent application of
And for a workhorse building, extremely
cutting-edge sustainable design that others can
efficient in terms of water and energy use.
emulate.
Serve as a campus hub that nurtures and
Alter Hall has been carefully designed to
develops community with equitable distribution
meet present and projected needs, to not
of resources and opportunities.
duplicate spaces available elsewhere on
campus and has made use of locallyproduced materials and recycled most of the
waste.
Provide welcoming sightlines to and from the
The building occupies a central place on
building, local neighborhood and campus.
campus without being overstated. Sightlines
from the building interior have been greatly
improved.
Our next part of the story will involve all the users of the building. It is important that everyone
on campus understand how the building functions so that they can advance the work of the Alter
Hall Renovation Team and help make this the greenest building on campus and one of the most
energy efficient buildings on any academic campus!
ART members: Lynda Kilbourne, co-chair, Bob Sheeran, co-chair, James Snodgrass, Gary
Lewandowski, Annette Marksberry, Shelly Webb, Steve Herbert, Shannon Byrne, Kathleen
Smythe
Sustainability advisory group: Victoria Mairal-Cruz, Alexandra James, and John Herrick
(sustainability student interns), Ann Dougherty, Dave Lococo, Nancy Bertaux, John Fairfield,
Kathleen Smythe with help from Tim Brownlee, Elizabeth Groppe, and Hema Krishnan