Merrill Hall, University of Washington

Related people

Sabrina Sierawski (was created by)
Miller/Hull Partnership (was created by)

Description

The new Merrill Hall houses the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington. A major intent of this design was that that the facility would serve "as a learning tool for a wide range of study areas, from electrical and mechanical engineering, to environmental health, architecture, landscape architecture, to programs on the environment, sociology, and business." --http://www.millerhull.com/html/index.htm Among the sustainable strategies and techniques employed are: -Water use reduction: Waterless urinals and low-flush toilets help to reduce water use in the new building by more than 35%. -Irrigation monitoring: By linking the irrigation system to a campus weather station, sprinklers only turn on when needed. -Stormwater recyling: A 2,200 gallon underground cistern will store roof runoff to be used to water the demonstration green roof, located at the courtyard level for easy viewing. -Natural ventilation uses strategically located windows and fans to draw warm air up and out. -Solar panels located on the Miller Library roof will generate enough electricity to serve the lighting needs of the building's main floor. -Green roof plantings help to reflect heat and thus reduce the urban "heat island" effect. -Building materials contain few volatile organic compounds normally present in paints, glues, sealants, and carpets. -Recycled/renewable products include a bamboo floor, straw board cabinets, furniture hand crafted from salvaged urban trees, and recycled concrete. --http://depts.washington.edu/urbhort/html/current/merrill_opening.html Keywords: United States, King County, Seattle, drainage, passive sustainable design . Submitted by Sabrina Sierawski, recipient of the 2006 Whitaker Traveling Fellowship.

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