Olin Business School at Washington University and the St. Louis design-construction team of Tarlton Corp., a member of multiple AGC chapters, and Mackey Mitchell Architects recently announced the $90-million Knight Hall and Bauer Hall expansion project on the Danforth campus has been certified LEED® Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council®. 

 

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design™, is the U.S. Green Building Council’s rigorous green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices through four levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. To receive LEED Gold certification, building projects must earn a minimum of 60 points on the USGBC rating scale. The Knight and Bauer Halls expansion project earned 60 points. 

 

Tarlton has completed two additional LEED Gold projects on the Washington University Danforth campus: Seigle Hall (Social Sciences & Law) and the McMillan Hall Addition. In addition, the firm constructed the LEED Certified Earth and Planetary Sciences Building at Washington University in 2004, the first LEED project completed in the city of St. Louis. 

 

Mackey Mitchell Architects has provided design services to Washington University (including the Washington University School of Medicine) for the last 20-plus years and has completed a number of LEED-certified buildings on campus. These include the LEED Gold South 40 House; LEED Silver Village East Student Housing and Umrath Rubelmann Student Housing; LEED Certified renovation of Mallinckrodt Center; and the LEED Platinum-anticipated Hillman Hall for the Brown School of Social Work.

 

"We’re delighted to complete our third LEED Gold project," said Tarlton President Tracy Hart. "Sustainable construction has become standard practice in our industry, with building owners and project teams looking to build sustainably on every project, registered or not. Having built our LEED Silver headquarters in 2004, we know how to build these buildings, and we’re proud to help create healthful environments that make St. Louis an even better place to work." 

 

The 177,000-sq-ft expansion project is the largest single project completed on the Washington University Danforth campus in the shortest span of time, nearly doubling Olin Business School’s footprint on the campus. The construction process and fast-track schedule was a project management triumph for the design-construction team.  Tarlton recently garnered a 2014 Best Practices Award for materials management and front-end planning on this project by the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers. The annual awards recognize successful use of Construction Industry Best Practices validated by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) to improve project quality, budget and schedule.

 

The Olin Business School expansion project champions craftsmanship in its innovative design. Knight and Bauer Halls, topping five stories each, are united by a dramatic five-story glass atrium that provides abundant natural light to an expansive amphitheater-style forum below. The inviting space unites the ensemble of buildings housing seven classrooms, study rooms, a 300-seat auditorium, 75 faculty offices, lounges, office, and other spaces to foster interaction.  

A Legacy of Building Green on the Washington University Campus 

The Olin Business School expansion began with the demolition of Eliot Hall to make way for the new Knight and Bauer Halls. The many sustainable processes and features of the project include: 

 

-          More than 12,000 tons of material was hauled away. Of this, 81 percent, or 10,000 tons, was recycled.

-          More than 23 percent of building materials contain recycled content.

-          More than 26 percent of building materials were sourced within a 500-mile radius.

-          More than 59 percent of wood used is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

-          Advanced HVAC systems result in a 21 percent reduction in overall energy use for comparable building.

-          Advanced water systems reduce water use by 36 percent for comparable building.

-          Water bottle filling stations encourage use of reusable water bottles. 

-          Ample bike storage and a shower facility in Bauer Hall encourage and support bicycle commuting.

-          Electric vehicle charging stations are available at the Millbrook Garage across from Knight Hall.