Between a solar photovoltaic system, a composting toilet and a host of other features, Calvin College's newest building design incorporates enough environmentally friendly features to qualify for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The new 5,270-square-foot Vincent and Helen Bunker Interpretive Center — whose massive picture window surveys the south pond in Calvin's Ecosystem Preserve — will be one of only a handful of buildings in West Michigan to qualify for a LEED gold rating.

The building is slated for completion this summer. A series of interactive displays and lectures will educate visitors about the site. The facility will also preach a cogent message on environmental stewardship says Calvin architect Frank Gorman, the building's designer.

Gorman has partnered with biology professor and preserve director Randall Van Dragt to tailor the center to LEED specifications and to the preserve's needs. Van Dragt has worked in the preserve since 1985, documenting the 135 species of birds, 30 species of mammals, 235 different plants and a variety of fish, reptiles and amphibians that call it home.

VanDragt says he's happy with the way the center is turning out. He especially likes the open feel of the facility.

LEED specifications award points for every aspect of a building's sustainability: design, site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and indoor environmental quality design. A LEED gold rating — the second highest level of certification the U.S. Green Building Council grants — requires 39 to 51 out of 69 possible points.

Gorman's design works hard for its point total. Many of the building materials used — including paneling, insulation and interior trim — are made of recycled materials. Waste is handled by chemical composting toilets, a sophisticated apparatus independent of the city's sewer system. Water from the sinks will filter through a biomass area — a large, indoor planter filled with water plants — before it recycles into the ponds.

On days when the weather permits, the center's windows will open automatically to regulate the center's temperature. And the building will draw 60 percent or its power from the sun.