With all its sustainable features, Muhlenberg College’s Fahy Commons has quickly captured attention, netting four prestigious sustainability awards, including the AIA Pennsylvania COTE Award, the international METROPOLIS Planet Positive Award, and the Green Building United’s Groundbreaker Award. It is also the first building in the world to achieve Living Building Challenge Core certification.
“To be a Living Building Challenge Core building, you have to use 50 percent less water and 75 percent less electricity for a building of comparable size. We have more than achieved both,” says Richard Waligora, capital projects manager, plant operations. In fact, at certification time, the building used just 8.1 percent of electricity and 7.8 percent of the water compared with a traditional building of its size.
Besides the metal roof, solar panels and rainwater cistern, Muhlenberg College’s Fahy Commons includes other green features.
The building’s triple-paned windows incorporate bird-friendly features: smaller windows are fitted with a special film, while larger windows are acid-etched.
“The intent is to stop birds from crashing into the windows, and it’s pretty successful,” says Waligora.
The facility also has bee bricks on its exterior, creating homes for native solitary pollinators.
“They’re pollinators that are solitary, so they have a place to go,” Waligora said. “Our architects like to call this the ‘birds and the bees’ building.”
Human-centered features are thoughtfully integrated as well, including high-efficiency lighting, heating and cooling systems, outdoor classrooms and event spaces, and sustainable commuting options such as an on-site shower and electric vehicle charging stations.
“We haven’t had an energy bill and we’ve had very low water bills since the building opened,” Waligora says. “There is also less maintenance for the facilities team.”
Ronnie Wendt is a freelance writer based in Minocqua, Wisconsin.
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