Silverman Hall’s sunny atmosphere was all part of a plan.
The building opened in the winter of 2009, but even before a shovel hit the ground, Silverman’s developers always envisioned an environmentally-friendly design.
They built a bridge lined with glass walls to act as a main artery of Northwestern’s engineering, life science and chemistry departments, attaching faculty offices to research laboratories. By the time it unlocked its doors, Silverman had already met all six requirements to receive the gold-level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.
“You have to start two or three years before you dig the hole in the ground to get this (rating),” said Dr. Thomas O’Halloran, a chemistry professor whose office is in Silverman.
The rating’s criteria for sustainable sites covers water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process.
One of the key features of the building is its chilled beam technology. Since Silverman is home to several heat-emitting instruments, this technology captures that heat and uses it for heating and cooling purposes, said Dr. Sheila Judge, director of operations and outreach for Chemistry of Life Processes Institute.
Other building hallmarks include the open areas and glass walls that allow enough natural light to enter so less lighting is needed during the day. The lighting system also uses occupancy sensors in each room to turn lights off when they aren’t being used.
A container collects water from the roof, which is then used to irrigate the landscaping. The roof is white, which reduces the “urban heat island effect,” a phenomenon where an area is significantly hotter than its surroundings.
Aside from the green features that set Silverman apart, it also offers instruments and capabilities uncommon to most academic institutions. A wall reserved for numerous LCD screens will allow users to visualize and manipulate data and images “in ways that are unique,” Judge said. “There is no other academic facility in the country that has the number of different modes of imaging that we’ll have available in a single contiguous space.”
John Roberts, an NU graduate student studying chemistry, said he agreed the instruments are vital to the building’s purpose.
“The building (has) everything we need,” he said.
Apart from being a front-runner in “green” matters, Silverman Hall also fosters another kind of growth among the chemistry, biology and engineering fields - personal relations.
“It’s those little connections,” said O’Halloran, who is now involved in a grant proposal born from one of the meet and greet areas in Silverman. “The barriers are lowered just enough.”
The building is designed to stimulate research between people from different departments and colleges who typically wouldn’t have the same chance to get to know one another outside of Silverman.
“Even if it was cost neutral on energy, which I don’t think it is, the benefits of having people collaborate…is well worth the investment,” O’Halloran said.
Requirements for LEED Certification:
- Buildings can earn up to 100 points counted toward certification, divided as follows:
- Sustainable sites, 21
- Water efficiency, 11
- Energy and atmosphere, 37
- Materials and resources, 14
- Indoor environmental quality, 17
- A building must score more than 60 points to achieve a Gold certification. Buildings can score up to 10 additional bonus points for design innovation and regional priority.
