THE FAHY COMMONS FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND INNOVATION

VITAL STATS

PROJECT TEAM

Project Description

With the first new building constructed on campus since 2006, Muhlenberg College has put forth a built example of their deep commitment to sustainability with the Fahy Commons For Public Engagement and Innovation. Housing multiple offices, classrooms, art studio, and maker space,  Fahy Commons is rooted in biophilic design – design that brings us in touch with nature both through direct and indirect experiences. To enter the building, visitors move around a natively planted rain garden and then experience sweeping views through the building towards a wooded hill descending to Lake Muhlenberg. 

C1. Ecology of Place

The project team assessed what good looks like in this community by visiting the site, evaluating current land use and College activity, studying future campus-wide master plan projects, and inviting faculty, staff, alumni, and student stakeholders to pre-design planning sessions and biophilic design workshops. The design team made several informed decisions early in the planning process to ensure an efficient and equitable project. Existing site conditions informed the design team’s restorative landscape plan in support of the site’s hydrology, flora, and fauna. The project incorporates several strategies that contribute positively to the ecology of its place, including restored landscape with diverse vegetation, meadows, rain gardens, swales, community gathering spaces, outdoor terrace and teaching spaces, walking paths, and improved connectivity to adjacent areas on campus. The project team is working with the College and students to monitor the health and performance of the site over time.

C2. Human-Scaled Living

The project prioritizes health, carbon, and community and enhances the relationship between the natural, built, and social environment. The project and site are scaled to support pedestrians, rather than motorists. Facades of the building include elements such as pass-throughs, recessed entry, ground-level windows on the main facades, alternating terracotta panel and glazing patterns to break up the scale of the building, and high building-height-to-street-center-line ratio. The main entry consists of a glazed vestibule where occupants are visually invited through the building to the wooded landscape and outdoor spaces beyond. The main entry is also covered by an overhead canopy to protect occupants from weather and includes benches made from wood reclaimed from the site. A rain-screen cladding made of extruded natural terracotta clay was chosen as the primary exterior material, both to reference existing campus materials as well as provide a durable, sustainable product. From a distance, the terracotta reads as uniform and upon approach to the building, the scale breaks down into panelized sections. A brushed pattern on the panels adds texture and variation, creating a randomized and non-homogenous look when close the building. The long north and south+ facades feature playful arrangements of punched windows and organized curtainwall spans at the center of the building. The east and west short facades are balanced compositions of opaque wall and corner glazed student lounges.  The glazing patterns differ on each level and façade orientation, helping to break down the façade geometry and provide strategic views into public spaces inside the building.

By removing an existing parking lot and adjusting the building location so its entrance can be on grade with existing campus walkways, the once disconnected and inaccessible site is now a universally designed part of the campus. Site additions include new EV charging stations and a covered bicycle shelter for occupants to use when biking to site. Muhlenberg College supports cyclists through their campus initiatives, Bicycle Racks @ the Berg and their U-lock program. Bicycle Racks @ the Berg helps on-campus volunteers install bike racks close to campus buildings. The u-lock program is provided through campus security, who loans out u-locks to students and who have two officers trained to provide bicycle repairs free of charge to students. An adjacent Lanta bus stop also provides free rides for all college students and staff.

C3. Responsible Water Use

The project manages indoor and outdoor water via several innovative strategies. The project benefits from the installation of a 10,000 gallon rainwater harvesting system used to flush toilets that is also on display as an educational tool for students,. Over its performance period, the project used less than 15,000 gallons of potable water, which represents a 70% reduction from baseline. The rainwater harvesting system in conjunction with low-flow fixtures reduces potable water use significantly. Stormwater is managed on-site via a combination of rain gardens, swales, meadows, and restored landscape with diverse vegetation. The stormwater management approach is designed to emulate the natural flows and absorption of water on-site in a pre-development state.

C4. Energy + Carbon Reduction

RENEWABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS INFORMATION

The project consists of several energy conservation measures to reduce consumption and meet the energy performance goals of Core, including:

• Airtight, thermal-bridge free envelope design
• Passive House-level airtightness confirmed via blower door testing
• East-west building orientation with deep recessed glazing to reduce overheating in the summer and promote solar heat gain in winter
• Optimized window to wall ratio of 28% to further manage solar heat gain and thermal losses High-efficiency MEP systems, including Swegon dedicated outside air units and LG VRF heating and cooling units
• All-LED lighting, lighting controls including daylight harvesting, vacancy, and occupancy sensors
• Vacancy controlled receptacles
• Operable windows throughout to promote passive cooling
• A building automation system to monitor all systems, metering, trend information, and provide alarming and overrides
• A 73-kW photovoltaic array on the roof who’s energy generation is displayed real-time on a building dashboard in the main entrance.

A key lesson learned throughout the performance period was that the building was used more than anticipated, which was exciting! Students and staff alike requested to be the in building more than ‘standard’ hours because of how much they enjoyed being in the building. This was a particularly rewarding outcome. However, this led to the building energy consumption being slightly higher than anticipated during design.

C5. Healthy Interior Environment

The project is mechanically ventilated with 100% outside air and no recirculation. This provides a constant supply of fresh, filtered air. Additionally, breathing zone outdoor air ventilation rates are provided at 30% above the minimum rates per ASHRAE 62.1-2010. Direct exhaust is provided for all spaces. To prevent hazardous gases or chemicals contaminating other interior spaces, deck-to-deck partitions and hard lid ceilings are installed and sufficient exhaust is provided in all spaces that house these products. This includes janitorial closets on the main and second levels. MERV 13 filters are installed on both DOAS-1 and DOAS-2 ventilation systems that supply outside air. CO2 monitoring is provided in all densely occupied spaces within the project, which includes meeting and flex spaces. 95% of regularly occupied spaces have direct access to daylight, views, and operable windows. All flooring, insulation, and paints and coatings in the building have been tested according to California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Standard Method v1.2–2017 and wet-applied products comply with the VOC limits per South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule 1113. The project has documented interior green cleaning policies, as well as HVAC, plumbing, and exterior maintenance requirements via its Healthy Interior Environment Plan. And of course, no smoking on-site or in the building.

C6. Responsible Materials

The team’s approach to responsible materials focused on using natural, healthy, sustainable, and regionally sourced materials wherever possible.  To achieve this during a highly disrupted pandemic supply chain market, the design and construction teams worked hand in hand to meet the design intent in creative and flexible ways. Specific responsible material achievements included: 

• 230 unique materials were installed in the building.
• 29 products are certified with Declare Labels.
• 1 product certified with Living Product Challenge.
• Declare Label advocacy letters were sent to 117 companies to encourage them to disclose their ingredients and identify any Red List content.
• 99% of eligible wood products are FSC certified or were intentionally harvested and reused onsite.
• Trees that were removed during site preparation were milled, kiln dried, and used for furniture in the building and gifts to project donors and key team members.
• 100% of all wood products came from low-risk sources.
• FSC advocacy letters were sent to 3 companies to encourage them to source wood that is extracted, transported, and processed in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
• 91% of construction and demolition waste was diverted from landfills.
• By cost, 34.6% of construction materials were sourced from within 310 miles of the project site.

C7. Universal Access

The building not only employs principles of universal design throughout, but it represents a huge campus accomplishment for accessibility. The previous site and building was not ADA compliant and was only accessible from campus via car or steep concrete steps. By relocating the new building footprint closer to existing campus walkways and adjusting the main floor level height to be on-grade with the same, the team has created a fully accessible building project, including the outdoor terraces overlooking Lake Muhlenberg.  True to principles of universal design, all visitors to the building enter through the same door and elevator access inside the building is equidistant from services as is the monumental stair. The interior of the building features visually accessible design that eliminates blind corners and prioritizes expansive views through spaces.

C8. Inclusion

As a proud bearer of an ILFI Just Label and founding B-corporation, project architect and sustainability consultant Re:Vision supports a movement for business prioritizing stakeholders and the community, and actively advocates for corporate social responsibility internally and externally. Re:Vision worked closely with integral project team members to complete Just self-assessments and advocate for team members to earn a Just label. During this project, Re:Vision successfully encouraged a long-time landscape architecture collaborator to earn a Just label! Additionally, Muhlenberg College provided donations to Habitat for Humanity Lehigh Valley, Green Building United, the Housing Association and Development Corp of Allentown, and Promise neighborhoods who all support the local community, help foster transformative impact through education and advocacy, and provide equitable access to safe living conditions.

C9. Beauty + Biophilia

Biophilic design was identified in early project visioning sessions as a core stakeholder value. Building upon that momentum, the design team facilitated biophilic design exploration with a full day charrette and the subsequent development of a project biophilic framework and plan.  The plan was used over the course of the project to ensure that biophilic design was carried through the full project design. The project ultimately brings occupants in touch with nature both directly and indirectly. Occupants experience elements of environmental features, natural shapes and forms, patterns and processes, light and space, place-based relationships, and human-nature relationships while also experiencing sweeping views of a wooded hill descending to Lake Muhlenberg. Examples of biophilic elements include incorporating natural daylight in all spaces and at the end and middle of each corridor, using natural shapes as accent forms inside the building, using natural materials including wood, stone, terracotta, and moss throughout, incorporating a landscape and indoor/outdoor spaces that strengthen local ecology and are place-based, and providing spaces of prospect and refuge through the designed atrium and terraces.

C10. Education + Inspiration

The project stakeholders and design team identified early on that it was important for the project to educate people to inspire other project teams to do more good—and teach them how to do it. The project has developed several education materials for the community, including a website, brochures for general sustainable features information, an educational brochure for occupants and what they can do to lower their footprint, and a comprehensive signage program throughout the building. At the entry vestibule, a sustainability dashboard displays real-time energy and solar information, as well as other information about the features of the building – from bee-bricks to meadow carbon sequestration.