Buildings & Grounds at Dickinson
We Are Committed to Creating Sustainable Buildings & Grounds
Dickinson has committed to constructing new buildings and major building renovations to a minimum standard of LEED Silver (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Since adopting this policy, all completed projects have earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. These include The Center for Sustainable Living (aka Treehouse), the Rector Science Complex, and Althouse Hall. These buildings incorporate resource saving technologies such as energy wheels that exchange heat between incoming and outgoing air, properly sized and highly efficient heating, ventilation and cooling equipment, sensors to optimize air flow, temperature and lighting, passive solar designs, natural lighting, high efficiency fluorescent and LED lighting, waterless urinals, and grey water systems. Furniture and fixtures are made with sustainable and low VOC materials.
CHECK OUT THE LEED GOLD CERTIFICATION POINTS SUMMARY FOR ALTHOUSE HALL
The building that is now Kaufman Hall was a factory that produced crystals for radio and other electronic equipment. Dickinson acquired this brownfield site, remediated its environmental hazards, and renovated the building to be the home of Environmental Studies & Science, Earth Sciences, Psychology, ALLARM and the Center for Sustainability Education (CSE). Ongoing renovations are integrating natural lighting, LED lighting, energy wheels, new solar pv arrays, and a research greenhouse at Kaufman, with the intent of applying for LEED Gold certification when completed.
Dickinson makes extensive use of native plants in its landscaping of the 200-acre main campus to limit water demand, provide habitat and food for wildlife, and avoid introduction of invasive species. A strategy of integrated pest management and biological controls is used to substantially limit the use of chemicals. Several areas are set aside as natural meadows, and there are a number of edible landscapes from which members of the campus community harvest greens, peppers and cherry tomatoes. Storm water runoff is controlled through use of rain-gardens and bioswales.