An exemplary residence hall
July 2010 — The George Washington University (GW) South Hall, designed by a joint venture of AECOM and Cox Graae + Spack Architects (CGS), has become the first building on GW's campus to achieve LEED certification and the first LEED Gold-certified higher education building in Washington, D.C.
AECOM provided architecture and building engineering services for the new 282,000-square foot residence hall, which provides housing for 474 students. Apartment suites are configured as four single bedrooms sharing a living and dining room/kitchen. The designers used a modified U-shaped building design that extends its ends beyond the parallel vertical wings, maximizing the amount of air and light that is able to reach the bedrooms and living areas. The 10-story building features floor-to-ceiling bay windows for exemplary daylight and views of the Foggy Bottom campus and the National Mall. The residence hall's façade incorporates the theme of the surrounding three-story brick row houses, specifically the projecting bays and brick façades, which helped to determine datum lines across the face of the building.
Student support space, including study lounges and common rooms, are located within the residential portions of the building. The new building also includes four levels below grade: one level of building support systems, and three levels of parking. South Hall is a signature building, one which responds to the challenges of a complex site and urban campus and is sensitive to the surrounding neighborhood.
AECOM's Education Design Principal on the project, Bob Perry, AIA, commented on the team's collaboration and determination to obtain LEED Gold certification: "Our standard practice of incorporating energy-efficient designs into all of our projects allowed us to achieve LEED Gold certification. With GW's commitment to achieving this goal, the project team of AECOM/CGS and Clark Construction gave their full dedication to obtain this success."
Among many dedicated individuals who contributed to achieving this goal were AECOM's Ali Jannati, lead mechanical engineer, and Eric Henry, lead electrical engineer for the project. They closely coordinated mechanical and electrical calculations and documentations during the period in which the building was being constructed to earn the maximum number of Design Phase LEED credit points. This work accounted for 10 of the ultimate 39 credit points.
Sustainable design concepts include a roof that reflects solar radiation, Energy Star® appliances in all suites, high performance glazing with low-emissivity and insulated glass, and low volatile organic compounds (VOC) paints to reduce indoor air contaminants. The team used high-efficiency lighting in the parking garage to reduce energy consumption by 33% more than other university parking structures. Extremely low-flow toilets and highly efficient shower heads provide an estimated savings of 30% per year. Additionally, the team designed mechanical systems that include energy-conserving features producing an estimated energy savings of 24.5% annually.
GW's South Hall is a comfortable home for students, an appropriate piece of its surrounding context and a significant advancement in sustainability standards for the university and the region.
Michelle Heim