St. Olaf Science Complex
Northfield, Minnesota
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> Case Studies: Educational > St.
Olaf Science Complex,
Northfield, Minnesota
Minnesota College Goes for LEED® Platinum
with Concrete
 St.
Olaf College has a recognized program in mathematics and the natural
sciences. Now the building that will house and unify these academic
programs is receiving recognition as well. The St. Olaf Science
Complex is a $65 million, 180,000 sf, 4-story facility that includes
research space, classrooms, teaching labs and a science library.
The vision that drove the new building initiative was creating areas
for interdisciplinary teaching and research, while maintaining environmental
integrity.
Committed to economical and ecological sustainability in its strategic
plan, the college is putting its own Sustaining St. Olaf
design guidelines into practice in the new science complex. Seeking
to attain LEED® Platinum certification, the facility incorporates
the green building concepts not only in the building itself, but
into the science curriculum that will go far beyond the ribbon cutting.
It will be the first major science facility in the country designed
with an emphasis on “green” chemistry, a developing
trend that seeks to minimize the hazardous chemical waste produced
from lab experiments. The necessary number of fume hoods will be
reduced to almost half as compared to traditional chemistry programs.
The collaboration for this project went above and beyond the traditional
levels of owner input. From the schematic design inception, the
architect and general contractor worked closely with the faculty
and students. The design team carefully chose building materials
based on recycled content and lifecycle costs. And concrete rose
to the top as the green material of choice.
 The
structural framing system is one-way reinforced concrete pan and
joist construction. The 4½” thick slab spans between
joists that are 9” to 12” wide by 24½”
deep, using 30” wide pan forms. The joists span lengths ranging
from 20’-0” to 36’-0”. They are supported
by 24” wide x 24½” deep beams, typically spanning
21’-0”. This framing is economical for classroom and
laboratory facilities. The pan voids allow for easy placement of
plumbing and electrical components, and provide a flexible floor
layout for technology-rich classrooms.
 The
concrete frame provides stiffness and structural continuity to minimize
vibration concerns associated with laboratory workspaces. These
inherent properties also provide a high-performance solution for
support of the modular green roof space, which demands an increased
load capacity due to the 4” to 8” deep planting trays.
Green roofs provide beauty and functionality to an often overlooked
exterior location. They reduce thermal fluctuation on the outer
surface of the roof, increasing their thermal capacity and decreasing
their thermal losses, thus minimizing energy consumption. Concrete’s
thermal mass properties further minimize thermal attenuations of
the roof slab, reducing the buildings heating and cooling demands
and economizing the structure’s lifecycle costs.
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| Owner: St.
Olaf College
Architect:
Holabird & Root
Chicago, Illinois
Structural Engineer: Holabird &
Root
Chicago, Illinois
Construction Manager
Boldt Construction, Inc.
Appleton, Wisconsin
Forming Contractor
Ceco Concrete Construction
Boldt Construction, Inc.
Concrete Contractor
Boldt Construction, Inc.
Concrete Supplier
Cemstone
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