Case study: Avoiding chemical

and biological disease agents

The Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environment Studies is the teaching facility for
Oberlin Colleges environmental studies programme.The building is a demonstration of the
commitment of David Orr, the course leader, and his team, who realised their ambition to
teach in an environment consistent with their life views. They succeeded in convincing the
college to support the development, gained independent funding for the project, developed a
sustainable building brief and appointed an ecological architect with expertise in the field.The
completed building, which includes 1,260 square metres of classrooms, offices and an atrium,
is not only resource efficient, with the potential to export energy (see 3.2.8), but creates a
harmonious relationship with the natural environment and a healthy indoor environment for
the occupants.The building also acts as a learning tool for the students who can experience at
first hand how an environmentally sound building operates.
Providing a healthy learning environment was one of the design aims for the centre.
Living and working in healthy indoor environments is not only a basic human right and
environmentally beneficial, but can also bring financial gains. A survey of research on the
effects of office design on productivity concluded that healthy workplaces can increase staff
productivity by 15 per cent (Arnold 2004). In educational environments research has shown
that learning improves in naturally lit environments with good indoor air quality (Edwards
2003).
The Lewis Centers indoor environment benefits from ample natural light, maximum
fresh air through automatically openable windows, and minimal indoor pollutants through the
careful selection of building materials, fixtures and fittings. Moreover, the contact with nature
provides opportunities for relaxation for the buildings occupants.
To minimise sources of indoor air pollution, materials that off-gas compounds
harmful to health were avoided. All paints and adhesives contain low volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) (see 3.2.7).The office furniture and the auditorium chairs, designed by
Design Tex, make use of an upholstery material designed by William McDonough and
Partners, which is completely non-toxic, safe and biodegradable. After having removed
sources of indoor air pollution, the air quality is monitored and fresh air introduced as
necessary. In the classrooms, carbon monoxide monitors and motion detectors are linked to
the mechanical ventilation and regulate the supply of fresh air, while maximising energy
efficiency.The lecture hall ventilation is also regulated by carbon monoxide monitors, which
are set at a level 20 per cent lower than recommended by ASHRAE, ensuring a high indoor
air quality
Comfort levels are further enhanced by allowing individuals to control their
immediate environment by opening windows in their office spaces as desired. To ensure the
building retains its healthy environment, non-building sources of indoor air pollutants also
need to be controlled. Cleaning materials (see 3.2.5) can be major sources of pollution. A
maintenance protocol establishes cleaning products and practices to ensure the healthy
environment is maintained in the long term.
The indoor air quality was also monitored by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST), who used the Lewis Center as a test-bed for new methods of measuring
and modelling ventilation and indoor air quality.The study showed that the very high air
exchange rates could be reduced from the current 100 per cent fresh air circulated every four
hours, without affecting indoor air pollution.
Creating a healthy environment has made the Lewis Center accessible to individuals
with elevated chemical sensitivities and allergies. One such student was able to visit the

building, while it was being completed without suffering adverse effects. He later enrolled at
the college in the knowledge that he could attend teaching activities in a healthy building.
The building has been a success in terms of creating a healthy, attractive and
inspirational place to enjoy. Its role as a model has affected more than just students. In 2004
Oberlin College adopted an environmental policy that aims to reduce the colleges net CO2
emissions to zero. One of the first initiatives is to finalise agreements to purchase more than
60 per cent of the college energy consumption from green energy sources.The policy also
aims to encourage alternatives to the car and requires new buildings to be LEEDS certified
(see 2.5.1). A second generation Lewis Center design may also be built some time in the
future.
Site and ecology The new college building stands on a
previously used site. The external areas include an
indigenous landscape, an artificial wetland, an orchard on
the partial berm on the north side of the building. and a
vegetable garden, which is cared for by students.
Community and culture The brief was developed in
consultation with students, staff and residents and 13 design
charrettes were undertaken. The main entrance area is used
for community occasions, such as banquets, as well as
college activities, such as public lectures. The building is
used as a learning tool for students.
Health See main text.
Materials Local materials were employed where possible,
such as the external faade bricks. The external paving was
reclaimed from the existing 1960s building. Interface
recyclable carpets were installed in first-floor areas. These
are leased and not owned by the college, and will be sent
back for recycling when they are worn out. Other materials
with recycled content include the steel frame, aluminium
roof, toilet partitions and tiling. All construction timber and
most of the furniture is FSC certified.
Energy The building is designed to benefit from passive solar
energy with all teaching and communal spaces facing south.
Exposed internal masonry acts as thermal mass. On the north
side at first floor level are offices and at ground level are the
kitchen, toilets and mechanical rooms. The building envelope
is well insulated with triple-glazed atrium curtain walling and
double-glazed windows elsewhere. The north elevation is
partially bermed to provide additional insulation.
Fabric U-values:
Walls 0.30 W/m2 C (R19)
Roof 0. 19 W/m2 C (R30)
When external temperatures are appropriate, windows
automatically open to allow fresh air in. In the atrium lowlevel
windows and north-facing clerestory windows open
automatically to provide natural ventilation. A closed loop
geothermal system, with 24 76-m deep wells, circulates
constant heat ground water to heat pumps in each room to

provide heating and cooling. Additional heat is occasionally

required in the atrium and provided by means of a water-towater
heat pump feeding an underfloor heating system.
Motion sensors, light sensors and individual controls reduce
the amount of energy used for lighting. A grid-connected PV
array with 360 units, covering the 370-square metre roof,
provides 45 kW of electrical energy. The building
performance was monitored after completion. Energy use in
the third year of occupation was measured to be:
94 kWhr/m2/yr (29.8 kBtu/ft2/yr), of which 5 per cent is
provided by the PV array.
Water See Chapter 6.3.
Low level vents with actuators.
Automatic high level vents.
Case study: Avoiding chemical
disease agents
Timber, despite being a natural material, can have harmful effects on health. In
addition, timber is often treated to protect it from fungal and insect attack, using materials
that in order to achieve their purpose have to be toxic. Health hazards associated with
untreated timber include dust from working the material and volatile resin vapours from some
particularly odoriferous species.These are associated with skin, lung and heart disease from
the dust and irritation to the nose, eyes and throat from the vapours, in susceptible
individuals.The risks to health associated with timber treatments vary according to the
treatment product used, and range from very low, as with boron-based treatments, to very
high, as with pentachloro-phenol (PCP) (Curwell et al. 2002). Many timber treatments as
well as surface finishes are dissolved in hydrocarbon solvents that affect indoor air quality,
mainly during applications, but potentially also during occupation (see 3.2.5).
To avoid the need for treatment, a number of approaches can be taken.The choice of
timber affects what treatment is required: hardwoods, such as oak, being generally more
resistant to insect attack and water. Some softwoods, such as western red cedar, European
larch and douglas fir, can also be used externally untreated. Regardless of what timber
species and treatment is used, timber elements should always be detailed so the timber can
dry out.This is done by detailing the timber elements to allow drainage and ventilation.
Preventing the moisture content from remaining above 20 per cent for long periods of time
inhibits the growth of mould. Before treating timber, it is worth considering the impact that
deteriorating timber would have on the building. For example, if exterior cladding
deteriorates, it can easily be replaced, with minimal impact on the building as a
whole.Treatment should remain a last resort after considering all other aspects of design.
If treatment is required, one of the less dangerous treatments should be selected (see
3.2.9), such as Permethrin,ACQ, which avoids the use of arsenic and chromium, or boron,
currently the solution preferred by many environmentally sensitive designers. Boron is a
naturally occurring material, which is part of human and animal diet in minute amounts of 13 milligrams per day. In much larger amounts, 1000 milligrams, it is effective against rot and
insect attack. In addition to its lower health risks, boron has other advantages, such as that it
penetrates deeper into the timber, 40 millimetres compared to the typical 3-8 millimetres, and
it can be used to treat dry rot in situ.

In recent years a treatment system that does not use chemicals has also been
developed.ThermoWood are timber products treated without natural or artificial
chemicals.Treatment is by means of a method developed by the Finnish State Research
Centre, which involves the use of heat and steam in a three-stage process. A first treatment
stage, which reaches temperatures of 130C, brings the moisture content of the timber to
almost zero.This is followed by a second stage where temperatures are kept at between 185C
and 215C for two to three hours, and a third stage where the temperature is lowered and the
timber re-humidified to reach 4-7 per cent moisture content.The treatment changes the
chemical structure of the timber by removing the timber resin on which the rot-forming
bacteria and fungi grow.