Best Higher Education/Research: Young Harris College Rollins Campus Center
For its new 121,000-sq-ft campus center, Young Harris College urged builders and designers to incorporate “smart” and sustainable design elements. The result, the Rollins Campus Center, in Young Harris, Ga., features a 60,000-sq-ft multipurpose student center, a 40,000-sq-ft library, a 500-seat dining facility, a 350-seat banquet area and other amenities. The building aims to earn LEED Gold certification.
To meet that goal of being smart and sustainable, designers incorporated a computer in the building manager’s office that controls the entire facility, including the locking/unlocking of doors, lights and temperature. Lighting is controlled by LED sensors; appliances are low energy/low heat; and all of the building’s water sources are sensor-controlled to aid conservation. Designers also incorporated extra-thick window glass, roof insulation and doors to aid heating and cooling. Geothermal cooling wells boost the project’s energy efficiency.