April 29, 2009
YORK, Pa. – York College of Pennsylvania’s Kinsley Engineering Center has been awarded the LEED® silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the first LEED-rated facility on campus and the sixth in York County. LEED is the USGBC’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient and high-performing buildings.
The Kinsley Engineering Center also received a Judge’s Choice Award from the Green Education Design Showcase publication, and the Materials and Resources Award from the Green Building Association of Central Pennsylvania. The project was submitted by LSC Design, Inc. and Barton Associates, Inc., members of the Kinsley Center design team. C.S. Davidson, Inc., was structural engineer for the project, and Kinsley Construction served as general contractor.
“It is rewarding to see York College, the Kinsley Engineering Center and the firms that contributed to its award-winning sustainable design recognized,” said College President George W. Waldner. “The Kinsley Center is an exciting addition to our campus and a highlight of a more than $100-million investment in facilities during the last five years.”
Completed in August 2008, the Kinsley Engineering Center brings together under one roof York College’s three engineering programs. The Center, formerly known as the York Narrow Fabrics Company, was a manufacturing facility that produced the narrow fabrics used for taping seams inside uniforms and other clothing. Shortly after the closing of the facility in 2006, the College purchased the property.
York College decided to rehabilitate the existing building structure rather than complete demolition, taking a significant cost-saving and sustainable approach that reduced impact on air quality during construction as well as landfill burden. Because the original building was built prior to current municipal code requirements for setbacks, renovation on the current site also preserved several acres of green space that would otherwise have been interrupted.
The design team embraced an “exposed engineering” approach, intentionally exposing mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems throughout, rather than concealing them with additional interior finishes. This reduced materials and installation costs, and environmental impact inherent in the manufacture of additional materials.
The project team also incorporated high-efficiency heating, cooling and hot water systems that will result in life-cycle cost savings. These systems are monitored and may be adjusted, along with lights, through a web-based control system. High/low manual flush valves and sensor-operated electronic faucets were used to minimize water usage.
“Rehabilitating an existing structure – and incorporating an approach of ‘exposed engineering’ as a teaching mechanism for students – has resulted in a building that maintains much of its original character, while giving occupants the technology of the present,” said Amy Meyers, project manager at LSC Design. “The Kinsley Engineering Center has been received by the College and the public with overwhelming positive feedback, showing how the past can help define the present without sacrificing quality and creativity. It is an example of how rehabilitation and sustainability can also take the form of a highly functional and forward-thinking educational facility.”
Located in southcentral Pennsylvania, York College offers more than 50 baccalaureate majors in professional programs, the sciences and humanities to its 4,600 undergraduate students. The College also offers master's programs in business, education and nursing. A center of affordable academic excellence, York is dedicated to the intellectual, professional and social growth of its students. The College helps them develop a concrete plan to attain academic growth and career success; encourages them to try in the “real world” what they learn in the classroom; and prepares them to be professionals regardless of the career they pursue.
# # #
Commenting is closed for this article.