Sound judgment and technical skills are taught at FAU in their College of Nursing (CON) program. The new nurses will need both to make quick decisions when a patient is dying at bedside and family members are counting on them to save their loved one’s life. At Christine E. Lynn – the name given to FAU’s CON program – patience and compassion are also emphasized in the lessons of patient care.
But can a green building be used to help teach those basic fundamentals of healing? FAU CON proved that it can. How we care for others can be liken to how we should care for our environment. “A building can be a teacher. Teaches us how things ought to be,” said Dr. Boykin, the Dean of the CON program.
As the 1st college in the U.S. to be LEED Gold certified (New Construction Version 2.2), FAU CON is another prime example of a top notch academic facility focusing not only on the skills and the core values required to be a nurse, but adopting the same principles when caring for the environment.
At the main entrance you’re greeted with bamboo trees, a perfect symbol for sustainability, and along the walkway leading to the tempered glass double doors there are outdoor lighting fixtures that meet Sustainable Sites Credit 8 (Light Pollution Reduction.) The tempered glass on the double doors would seem to be a security concern, but Dr. Boykin said, “With our high-performance building, we felt it was appropriate to provide our visitors an element of surprise as they walk through the doors.”
Surprise it was. Once in the main lobby, there are two distinct features that can’t go unnoticed. One, the lobby is cylindrical shaped with windows running up to the top floor on the side facing the outdoor courtyard. Second, the image on the floor – interestingly named The Dance of Caring Persons – represents the program’s commitment towards caring for patients and caring for one another. “It is to show ‘a way of being’ in the world, being with each other, respecting one another, and honoring each one's talent and natural gifts,” said Dr. Boykin. The building did not meet Energy & Atmosphere (EA) Credits 8.1 or 8.2 for daylight and views, but the floor-to-ceiling windows in the lobby provided enough natural light that you hardly notice any fixture lighting at all.
Much of the interior design was based off of Feng Shui, a Chinese system of aesthetics, where many of the rooms and hallways are designed to create a flow of energy. Faculty are given the opportunity to add personal touches to their office space with colors and designs based off of Ba Gua, another Chinese principle relating to cosmology, where room color and an image on the carpet depict one of the major areas of one's life. The colors representing the elements of Ba Gua are: Green (Wood), Blue (Water), White (Metal), Yellow (Earth), and Fire (red). With so many aesthetically pleasing touches, it’s so easy to forget that the paint used was low emitting non VOC paint and the carpet was made from recycled content meeting both Materials & Resources (MR) and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) credits.
The courtyard is an area for students and faculty to relax and wind down. Surrounded by Buttonwood, Hibiscus, Bahama Firebush, and other native trees, shrubs, and plants, the project team easily achieved Water Efficiency (WE) Credits. Many of the LEED credits are synergistic, meaning achieving one also helps achieve another. For example, the team was able to achieve other credits like Sustainable Site (SS) Credit 7.1 (Landscape and Exterior Design to Reduce Heat Island Effects, Non-Roof) and WE Credits 3.2 (Water Use Reduction, 30% Reduction) by having a green space and filling it with native trees and plants. Trees and plants native to Florida are able to tolerate longer periods of drought and withstand the intensity of the solar gain from the sun. It was also beneficial for the team’s overall water reduction strategy to have a retention pond nearby storing rain water which can be pumped to the irrigation system. By implementing key strategies such as these, FAU CON is saving thousands of dollars each month on their water bill.
The Labyrinth, a maze-like design made up of pervious pavers located in the center of the courtyard, provides the staff, faculty, and students to walk it to reflect on “letting go and focusing on the moment”, Dean Boykin explained. There are benches, chairs, and meditation spaces in other areas of the courtyard providing employees and students an area of peace and tranquility. Many of the features in the courtyard show you the pledge FAU CON has made to the environment even with one not relating to LEED. A Bird X Yard Guard, a safe and chemical-less pest deterrent system using sound pressure to ward off garden pests, sits nearby.
Moving back inside, there are other features that met LEED credits, for example the bamboo flooring, thermal comfort monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting fixtures, and designated recycling areas. You get a sense that the program is extremely dedicated to the “caring-based philosophy” as one of the rooms called The Sacred Place is for meditation and self-renewal. The design of the room is very unique with natural light coming through the windows at the floor and ceiling levels. As you enter the room you immediately notice how effective this lighting strategy is in eliminating glare and heat-gain from the sun. Appropriately, the room has no view of the outside, because it is a “meditation room” where distractions are not welcomed.
By building FAU CON green, administrators, faculty, and students can be proud to say they are active participants committed to “Environmental Stewardship” and the promotion of good health through medicinal practices and conservation of natural resources. Through the use of green designs and strategies, the building serves not only as a physical dwelling, but also as an environment of care. ¦PGR¦
FAU CON
is an area for students and faculty to relax and wind down. Surrounded by Buttonwood, Hibiscus, Bahama Firebush, and other native trees, shrubs, and plants, the project team easily achieved Water Efficiency (WE) Credits. Many of the LEED credits are synergistic, meaning achieving one also helps achieve another. For example, the team was able to achieve other credits like Sustainable Site (SS) Credit 7.1 (Landscape and Exterior Design to Reduce Heat Island Effects, Non-Roof) and WE Credits 3.2 (Water Use Reduction, 30% Reduction) by having a green space and filling it with native trees and plants. Trees and plants native to Florida are able to tolerate longer periods of drought and withstand the intensity of the solar gain from the sun. It was also beneficial for the team’s overall water reduction strategy to have a retention pond nearby storing rain water which can be pumped to the irrigation system. By implementing key strategies such as these, FAU CON is saving thousands of dollars each month on their water bill.