Introduction
Mid-Atlantic Timberframes proudly partnered with architect Ayers Saint Gross, the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, and Bruce Jones Contracting to build the Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall (SGEH) at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. SGEH provides academic and lab spaces for a wide variety of environmental courses and programs. The goal of the project was to achieve the Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification, an international sustainable building certification program in which 100 percent of the building’s energy is supplied by on-site renewable energy.
Mid-Atlantic Timberframes (MATF) is an experienced heavy timber manufacturer/provider with a vast portfolio of projects promoting the sustainable and eco-friendly benefits of building with heavy and mass timber. Therefore, providing product that helped Washington College earn construction for LBC certification was a great honor.
The Story of Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall
Home to biology and environmental classes, Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall is a unique and innovative waterfront location at Washington College. The vision for the project was first conceptualized in 2008, and after receiving generous donations, the college saw their dreams come to fruition in the fall of 2019.
SGEH is the first academic building on the college’s up-and-coming Waterfront Campus, which is approximately one and a half miles southeast of the main campus. Nestled along the Chester River, the academic building incorporates the local waterway, natural habitats, native plants, and diverse animals into the college’s academic and research programs. The framework of the new building provides an innovative location for students to engage with the natural environment on campus and seek ways for positive impact.
The team assembled to achieve the Living Building Challenge certification goal of creating a regenerative built environment included architect Ayers Saint Gross, the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, and Bruce Jones Contracting. The team tasked Mid-Atlantic Timberframes with providing a fully framed structure for the building, including exposed wood trusses inside and out.
The Challenge of Achieving the Living Building Challenge Certification
Prior to becoming a beacon for environmental success, the location of Washington College’s environmental center had been used as a petroleum fuel depot and agricultural chemical storage and distribution facility. In other words, the land had become a contaminated wasteland. However, Washington College began to dream of turning the space into an eco-friendly, sustainable facility that improved the natural health and beauty of the land and water.
While collaborating with the Maryland Department of the Environment, the college decided to restore the property as a riparian buffer, improving the water quality and reducing the effects of pollution on the land. The college was committed to implementing sustainable features throughout the property and educating scholars and the community on ways to support the environment.
Why Mid-Atlantic Timberframes Was Chosen
Mid-Atlantic Timberframes brought more than a decade of expertise to support the design team in its sustainable initiatives for the college. MATF has always believed in sustainable building practices. All of its wood is sourced from well-managed forests and comes from suppliers that plant as many as ten times the number of trees they harvest. MATF is also proudly certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC® C164575), an independent, nonprofit organization committed to protecting the earth’s forests.
The design team for Washington College specified heavy timber for the construction of the environmental center because timber is the only renewable building material, and it’s energy-efficient in its production. Heavy timber is far more sustainable than metal alternatives, and it sequesters carbon, keeping it from entering the atmosphere. Carbon emissions have a significant impact on the environment, causing global warming, increasing smog and air pollution, and producing acid rain. Timber frame structures naturally work to counteract increased carbon in the air.
The Results
Washington College was honored with the Living Building Challenge certification, which is a step above LEED certification. LBC sets the standard for buildings with net-positive environmental impacts. The goal is to be truly regenerative — bringing good into the world and not just limiting negative effects. Exceeding standards for green and high-performance structures, LBC advocates for designing regenerative buildings that create a positive impact on the local environment as well as inspire change within the community.
To meet the high standards needed for certification, SGEH relied on radical modifications to standard building practices. In addition to the use of timber framing, the architects positioned a row of solar panels on the roof of the building and installed geothermal wells underground. They designed the position of the building to limit cast shadows that might inhibit future adjacent buildings from utilizing solar panel technology. Every detail was carefully considered to benefit and improve the natural environment.
Meeting the standard for LBC certification, the 9,500-square-foot academic building produces more energy than it uses each month, putting additional energy into the grid. As an environmental center, Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall will continue to be a hub for researching and developing new methods for protecting and improving the natural environment of the Washington College campus.
Mid-Atlantic Timberframes is committed to supporting eco-friendly building projects along the East Coast and across the country. The company is proud to support Washington College’s environmental center and looks forward to more conservation construction projects in the future.
Architect: Ayers Saint Gross
Builder/Framer: Bruce Jones Contracting
General Contractor: Whiting Turner Company
Mid-Atlantic Timberframes
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