Constructed under stringent standards, Herman N. Hipp Hall stands out for its environmentally friendly design

Register, Charlie

Roberts, John

English

Furman University

Furman MagazineVolume 45Issue 3 Fall 2002 Article 69-1-2002Code GreenJohn RobertsFurman UniversityCharlie RegisterFurman UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furman-magazineThis Article is made available online by Journals, part of the Furman University Scholar Exchange (FUSE). It has been accepted for inclusion in FurmanMagazine by an authorized FUSE administrator. For terms of use, please refer to the FUSE Institutional Repository Guidelines. For more information,please contact scholarexchange@furman.edu.Recommended CitationRoberts, John and Register, Charlie (2002) "Code Green," Furman Magazine: Vol. 45 : Iss. 3 , Article 6.Available at: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furman-magazine/vol45/iss3/6Photos by Charlie Register hat's wrapped in  hidden heat­reflective tinfoil and has solar green glazing and carbon-dioxide sensors that detect the presence of humans? No, it's not the space shuttle. It 's Herman N.  Hipp Hall . To the casual observer, Furman's newest academic bui lding - named for a 1 935 Furman graduate who was a civic leader in  Greenvi l le and a longtime exe­cutive with Liberty Life Insurance Company - resembles most any gleaming, modern university facil ity. It has a sun-bathed lobby with l ustrous tile floors, sleek new furniture and soothing teal and aqua-green colors. The bathrooms glisten. And no new academic building would be complete without at least one piece of abstract art. Hipp's is A quarii , a contem­porary outdoor sculpture that is the center­piece of a brick patio. Like most abstract art, the work first confuses, then delights. But take a closer look. Although Hipp Hall is as modern as its name implies, it is clearly not your father's academic building. Completed late this summer, the three­story, 38,000-square-foot building was constructed under stringent environmental standards. Hipp's design ,  from its fly ash concrete foundation to its heat-reflective roof shingles, is intended to conserve energy while min imizing the building's environ­mental impact. ntering the lobby of Hipp Hall, an astute visitor might fi rst notice the odor- or lack thereof. There's no harsh "new building" smell because, to reduce the possibi lity of indoor air pollution, no oi l-based paint was used. On first glance, the bui lding's large windows appear to have a slightly green tint. In fact, the windows on three sides of Hipp Hall are equipped with a (solar) g reen glass tint. The tinting al lows the maximum amount of daylight to enter but blocks u ltraviolet heat, which can cause the temperature in the bui lding to r ise. The glass also reduces glare. Other "green" facts about H ipp Hall: • Twenty-five percent of the materials used in construction of the bui lding con­tained recycled content, compared with 1 5  percent for most buildings. • Hipp Hal l  concrete is constructed with fly ash ,  a by-product of coal burning. It reduces the amount of cement required yet maintains strength. Cement production is a high-energy consumption process. • Sensors in the bui lding's ductwork detect carbon dioxide, which is exhaled when we breathe. The data is used to monitor the air temperature and humidity in the bui lding. • R-1 9  insulation and a special tinfoil­like substance are layered under all the external brickwork. This combination reflects heat while keeping the interior cool during the summer and warm in winter. • Every room has occupancy sensors. Overhead lights turn off automatically if no one is in the room. • More than 90 percent of the offices in Hipp Hall have a di rect l ine of sight to the outside. • External lighting reflects down to conserve energy and reduce light pollution. • Thanks to tree conservation and new plantings, more than 30 percent of the sidewalk and parking areas around H ipp Hall wi l l  be shaded in five years. • More than 75 percent of the waste generated during the construction of H ipp Hall was recycled . "Green" construction, although popular elsewhere, has only recently gained inroads in the South. In November, Furman applied to have Hipp Hall named the first LEED (Leadership in  Energy and Environmental Design) bui lding in South Carolina. The U.S. Green Bui lding Counci l ,  a national group of building industry leaders that encourages the construction of energy-efficient bui ld ings, developed the LEED Green Buildings Rating System. Buildings are assigned one of four levels in the rating system - certified, silver, gold and platinum -based on the number of environmentally friendly features they include. A LEED panel ascribes points after reviewing documentation supporting each LEED prerequisite and credit. T here are approxi-mately 400 LEED-certified bui ldings in the United States, most of them in the Northeast and California. Mary Pat Crozier, capital construction manager at Furman, says implementing the environmentally friendly features added about $300,000 to the bui lding's cost. But through energy savings, those expenses should be recouped in about 1 2  years. 11 "This is too long of a payback period for most homeowners to consider bene­ficial," Crozier says. "However, Furman and other universities and institutional clients bui ld bui ldings with life cycles of 25 to 50 years, so a 1 2-year payback represents a viable savings. Plus, you're doing your part to protect the environment." T he bui lding's lower level (or Garden Level ,  as its occupants affectionately call it) is home to the departments of Continuing Education and Graduate Studies. The Department of Education and the Rushing Center for Advanced Technology are stationed on the ground floor, with the Department of Economics and Business Administration on the second floor. With its roomy offices, cozy conference rooms and classrooms equipped with the latest multimedia technology, Hipp Hall is designed to enhance learning in both large and intimate settings. "In class you can show a video cl ip, then go immediately to an overhead without missing a beat. Because classrooms have Internet access, you can pull up current stock quotes and interest rates," says EBA professor Bruce Brown. "It's brighter than what we were accustomed to in Furman Hall . This is such a pleasant environment." u ring the bui lding's dedication cere­mony October 29, Furman awarded honorary Doctor of Humanities degrees to two prominent South Carol inians: Darla D. Moore, a leading businesswoman and phi lanthropist, and Inez Tenenbaum, the state's Superintendent of Education. Moore, executive vice president of Rainwater, Inc., a private investment f irm, is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and of the Master of Business Administration program at George Washington University. As a result of her generosity and support, the Moore School of Business at USC is named in her honor, and the School of Education at Clemson University is named for her father, Eugene T. Moore. Designated one of the 50 most powerful women in American business by Fo rtune magazine, she is the founder and chair of the Palmetto Institute, a foundation dedicated to improving the economic climate in South Carolina. Tenenbaum is a graduate of the University of Georgia and of the University of South Carolina School of Law. Elected superintendent in 1 998 and re-elected this fall ,  she has worked to raise academic standards, improve student readiness for school, and strengthen the qual ity of instruction in the state. She created the School Leadership Executive Insti­tute and has played a major role in the development of the First Steps in School Readiness in itiative. 

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