Worcester, MA (October 19, 2007) - The Lasry Center for Bioscience at Clark University has received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable building design and construction. The facility, designed by Tsoi/Kobus & Associates (TK&A), is the first in Worcester and the eighth in Massachusetts to receive gold certification. Consigli Construction Co. Inc. of Milford, MA, was the construction manager for the Lasry Center; vanZelm Heywood & Shadford of Hartford, CT, were the engineers. The 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art teaching and research building houses classrooms, teaching and research labs, faculty offices, conference rooms, and lounge spaces.
LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance "green" buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
ALL PHOTOS: ©Robert Benson Photography
The Lasry Center, which is triangle-shaped to achieve maximum southern exposure, is 45-percent-more energy efficient and uses 30 percent less water than the average building its size. Among its sustainable design features, the building includes metal shades over windows on the western and southern facades that act as "eyebrows" to deflect sun and heat from the interior during warmer months and reflect heat indoors in the winter, when the sun's angle is lower.
Following LEED practices, nearly all the materials used in the Lasry Center are recycled, from local sources, and are not treated with chemicals such as formaldehyde. Also contributing to the building's gold certification are such amenities as bicycle racks and showers for bicyclists, special parking spaces for carpoolers, and ample swaths of grass and trees.
"As architects specializing in technology-intensive facilities, which by their nature demand considerable energy and other physical resources, we're gratified to be able to contribute to the growing body of ‘sustainable technology' buildings," says TK&A Senior Principal Edward T. M. Tsoi, FAIA. "Achieving this gold certification was not easy, and it is the result of thoughtful planning, intense collaboration, and a high level of commitment on the part of all the project team members, most especially Clark University."
"By achieving LEED Gold, the Clark University Lasry Center for Bioscience has emerged as a building that highlights the importance of sustainable design," said Greg Burns, project executive with Consigli. "From the start, this building was designed with an eye towards green construction, and to be recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council with LEED Gold certification is a tremendous honor."
About Tsoi/Kobus & Associates
Founded in 1983, TK&A is an established leader in sustainable design. The firm has 20 LEED-accredited architects on staff, three LEED-certified projects to date and six others currently under design or construction that anticipate LEED certification. TK&A specializes in four markets: higher education, research and development, healthcare, and commercial real estate-projects that often involve intensive programs and systems, complex urban contexts, and permitting, operational, budgetary, and schedule challenges. TK&A has earned more than 85 design awards, and has been recognized by Architectural Record magazine as one of the country's "Best Managed Firms," by Engineering News-Record as one of the top 500 design firms, and by Architecture magazine as one of the Top 50 Global Giants.
About Consigli
Consigli, a leader in environmental construction, has overseen more than a dozen LEED registered projects, and the Clark University Lasry Center for Bioscience is the fifth to become certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Established in 1905, Consigli is a leading construction manager and general contractor serving academic, corporate, healthcare and institutional clients throughout New England and New York State. The company was recently recognized by the Boston Business Journal as one of the Best Places to Work in Massachusetts and in Maine by Best Companies Group. Consigli has offices in Milford, Mass. and Portland, Maine. For more information, visit http://www.consigli.com/.
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Morgan Madera
TSOI/KOBUS & ASSOCIATES
http://www.tka-architects.com/
617.475.4283
One Brattle Square P.O. Box 9114
Cambridge, MA 02238-9114
Main: 617.475.4000 Fax: 617.475.4445