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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY BREAKS GROUND ON NEW SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
Project by William McDonough + Partners and Quinn Evans | Architects
Celebrates Social, Economic, and Environmental Aims
Washington, DC — American University President Neil Kerwin and AU School of International Service Dean Louis Goodman will preside over the groundbreaking of the new School of International Service building, commemorating 50 years of international education and service. A reception will follow a 2:00 PM ceremony, and at 4:00 PM there will be a panel discussion about the project. The SIS Annual Fall dinner will follow that evening, honoring Professor Gary Weaver, the new building, and the School’s first 50 years.
How can we design a building that inspires students to dream? This question—articulated by the dean of the country’s largest international relations program—guided the architecture team of William McDonough + Partners and QUINN EVANS | ARCHITECTS, along with their consultants. The project involves a range of energy and water strategies, Cradle to CradleSM material specifications, and abundant fresh air and daylight, and implements these as pedagogical tools capable of demonstrating a high degree of environmental responsibility. (Cradle to Cradle is a Service Mark of MBDC.)
According to Dr. Goodman, dean of SIS, "This project was a logistical and intellectual collaboration between the architects, the faculty, the students, the university, and consultants. We talked about functionality, aesthetics, environmental, economical, and social justice concerns that should be taken into account. We wanted this building to make a statement about the world and the condition of the planet, so all these concerns had to be central."
Some of the elements of the project are:
- The atrium is designed as the center/heart of the AUSIS community: crossroads, gathering place for speeches and presentations. This space will bring copious daylight into the wide-footprint building.
- A range of energy strategies will be employed, including:
- Control exterior heat gain via high performance glazing, shading, optimized envelope, energy models.
- Optimize equipment selection including lighting, appliances, mechanical equipment, elevators, and more.
- This wide-footprint building has an atrium to help permeate light through interior spaces; lots of glazing brings in perimeter light; daytime use of artificial light kept to a minimum.
- Anticipatory design was used to provide opportunities for future installation of photovoltaic arrays. The university is currently exploring solar opportunities.
- The team recognizes the social impact of resource acquisition, and sought to emphasize water capture and reuse over depletion of aquifers as well as prioritize renewable power generation. Rainwater is harvested from the building’s roof, stored in a 60,000 gallon cistern, and used for toilet flushing. This strategy reduces stormwater runoff significantly and virtually eliminates the use of potable water for sanitary uses.
- Cradle to Cradle Certified materials have been specified throughout the building. These are safe materials in biological or technical cycles that support planetary and organism health as well as clean air and water.
- The building will be maintained over time with a safe and healthy cleaning protocol designed to protect the health of the cleaning and maintenance workers and those who use the building.
- The SIS and design teams believe that every project can be a teaching tool during design and long after. Professor Paul Wapner asked students to study connections between design and social justice by examining labor contracts, the social aspects of materials, and more.
- Stormwater runoff is a significant concern in this region, so attention is being paid to keep water on site through several strategies and scales—site, building, and roof. Features include bio-retention and mulch filters. A small portion of the roof was designed as a roof garden.
- Buckminster Fuller-inspired panels on the exterior would celebrate the importance of Fuller as a thinker who influenced human conception of the world, and humanity's place within the natural world.
- The team is pursuing a U.S. Green Building Council LEED® rating and is targeting a Gold-level Certification.
According to Kevin Burke, partner with William McDonough + Partners, the whole team was impressed by the client’s commitment to the project as a teaching tool. "We admire how the SIS administration pressed to have students and faculty involved in the design process. This is testimony to the school's commitment to transparency and inclusion."
SIS is the largest school of international affairs in the U.S. with more than 2,500 students from 150 countries. Students take on issues of world peace and security, international finance, development and human rights, international environmental issues and urbanization, and population control and international terrorism. The new building will be a vibrant center for teaching, research, and public dialogue. It will enhance the school’s distinctive identity as a cross-national scholar, practitioner, and student community dedicated to improving policy and practice world-wide.
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FACTS
Client
American University School of International Service
Location
Washington, DC
Program
Classrooms, offices, student lounge, and amenities
Area
75,000 SF
Status
groundbreaking November 2007
projected occupancy late 2009
Architect of Record
QUINN EVANS | ARCHITECTS
Structural Engineering
McMullan Associates
MEP Engineering
GHT Limited
Civil / Site
Delon Hampton & Associates Chartered
Fire Protection / Life Safety
Protection Engineering Group
Contacts
Kira Gould, William McDonough + Partners
434 979 1111, media@mcdonough.com
Jeanine Quaglia, QUINN EVANS | ARCHITECTS
202 298 6700, jquaglia@quinnevans.com
Andra Inman, SIS Office of Alumni Relations
202 885 1616, ainman@american.edu
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