All campus Upgrades

Campus Flooring

Starting 2006-2007, all new flooring that is installed on campus is recyclable, and by fall 2008 about 80% of campus flooring was composed of recyclable materials.  Recylcled materials used include cork flooring, linoleum, and carpeting.(K. Lawson)

• Cork floors:
  • Cork is considered "sustainable" because cork trees can be stripped of their bark repeatedly with no harm to the trees, which can live to 200+ years. (www.sustainablefloors.co.uk)
  • Ideal for low traffic areas, soft wood must be heavily sealed. (K. Lawson)
  • More aesthetically pleasing than linoleum.
  • Cork is good for sound absorption. (K. Lawson)
  • A small cork odor is sometimes noticeable. (K. Lawson)
• Linoleum:
  • Linoleum is composed of organic materials (as opposed to vinyl) and is 100% biodegradable and recyclable. (www.sustainablefloors.co.uk)
    
    • Works best in high traffic hallways and corridors. (K. Lawson)
    • Attempts to install linoleum in student bathrooms has failed due to sealing problems and eventual mold. (K. Lawson) (R. Lamppa)
• Carpeting:
  • Since 2006 all new carpeting is recycled and recyclable. (K. Lawson)
  • Carpet is installed in carpet squares to allow replacement of small areas as needed. (R. Lamppa) (K. Lawson)
  • All carpeting on campus is generally replaced on an 8-year rotation. (K. Lawson)

Campus heating converted from steam to hot water (except in Evans dorm).(RL)

In a hot water heating system much of the system still relies on steam.  Steam is generated inside the 3 boilers in the Facilities Plant (see the "Boilers" section of the Projects Initiatives tab) and pumped to buildings as steam.  In a steam heating system (still in place in Evans), this steam is then pumped directly into heating units.  In a hot-water heating system the steam is pumped into coils surrounding small boilers or pipes holding water, which is heated and then pumped to the individual heating units you would see in a hallway or dorm room.

• Hot-water heating is more easily regulated and more efficient than steam.

All furnaces in campus-owned houses replaced with smaller more efficient units (2004). (DS) (RL)

New sprinkler/fire alarm systems installed in all houses in 2003-2004. (RL) 

 

Specific Building Upgrades

Cassat and Memorial Halls

• Sustainable features of the New Residence Halls. (Nicky Bloom's ENTS Capstone)

Christensen House (208 Union)

• Upgrades to kitchen and electrical system. (RL)

Burton Hall

• Removed old asbestos tiles under rugs. (RL)
• Installed new sprinklers. (RL)
• Steam heating was changed to hot water heating in the 1970’s. (RL)
• Installed storm windows in 2004.  Storm windows greatly improve heat retention. (DS)

Skinner Memorial Chapel

• Cork flooring installed in sanctuary level choir spaces on sides of Chapel. (KL)

CMC (Computer and Math Center)

• Data Center was redesigned in 2005.
  • Data Center was redesigned with hot aisles and cold aisles so that cold air is pumped only into the fronts of the machines and hot air is returned out the back sides. (RL)
  • Remodeling allowed the creation of extra room to rearrange the servers. (RL)
  • Decrease in required lighting.  ITS (Information Technology Services) work room moved out of Data Center to smaller room. (RL)
  • Old Data Center now has recycled carpet tiles. (RL) (KL)
  • New lights in Data Center are tied to automatic dimmers. (RL)
  • VFDs installed on air conditioners, Data Center climate is computer controlled. (RL) (DS)
• CMC basement offices received recycled carpet squares fall 2008. (KL)
• Classrooms and hallways to get recycled carpet squares summer 2009. (KL)

Davis

• Installed storm windows in 2004.  Storm windows greatly improve heat retention. (DS)

Evans

• Installed storm windows in 2004.  Storm windows greatly improve heat retention. (DS)

Facilities

• Changed out old motors, all motors on chiller and hot water pumps are VFDs. (RL)

Goodhue

• By 2004 Goodhue was connected to the central chiller plant which can run at a higher efficiency than the unit that was on-site in Goodhue. (DS)
• Will receive entirely new recycled carpet squares summer 2009. (KL)

Goodsell

• Upgraded classroom #03 in 2002.
  • New ventilation system installed reduced mold and allowed the space to be used as an extra classroom. (RL)
  • Refinished the floor and installed with rollable carpeting that can be removed and let the space to be used for archaeology labs. (RL)
  • Flooring installed under carpeting was linoleum. (RL)

Hulings

• Because of its use for science labs Hulings the air in Hulings must be frequently circulated, which requires intensive heating of new outside air.  Hulings uses a heating system that reclaims some exhaust heat for reuse in the building to offset this high energy cost. (DS)(RL)

Library

• Movable compact shelving installed in 2004 on all ground floors to maximize current library infrastructure and reduce the need for new construction. (RL)
• Manual lighting installed in 2004 in compact shelving and stacks ensures that lights do not run all the time but can be turned on as necessary. (RL)
• Incandescent lighting switched to fluorescent fixtures. (RL)
• 45% recycled content carpet installed over 2006-2008 summers. (KL)

Laird

• New double hung windows installed.  The double pane windows are significantly better insulators. (RL)

LDC (Language and Dining Center)

• LDC constructed in 2001.
• All carpet in the LDC is recycled and all non-carpet flooring is linoleum. (KL)
• Interior stone for LDC was all quarried in Minnesota.
• A program called Energy Assets was used to optimize the building thermal performance of the Language and Dining Center (LDC). Weidt Group of Minneapolis, a pre-eminent energy consultant, assisted the College with this DOE-2 analysis and evaluation of energy saving options.
• Clerestory windows and light shelves were integrated into the LDC to project natural light far into the building and reduce the need for artificial light.
• Light sensors in the LDC dim artificial light in response to the intensity of natural light.

Leighton

• Changed some but not all incandescent lighting to fluorescent. (RL)
• Installed recycled carpeting. (RL)

Mudd

• As in Hulings, Mudd's use for science labs means indoor air must be frequently circulated, which requires intensive heating of new outside air.  Mudd uses a heating system that reclaims some exhaust heat for reuse in the building to offset this high energy cost. (DS)(RL)

Musser

• Upgrades done in the summer of 2008.
  • Recycled carpet squares installed. (KL)
  • Old windows replaced to more efficient models (awaiting details). (RL)

Nourse

• Installed storm windows in 2004.  Storm windows greatly increase heat retention. (DS)

Parish House

• Runs off an on-site hot water system, which saves energy that would be lost in transport. (RL)
• Parrish House is currently being evaluated for a solar bank.
  • A solar bank is a large room full of batteries that are charged during the day by photovoltaic panels, and at night by the off-peak grid energy.  If enough energy is produced by the photovoltaic panels, energy is pushed back into the grid. (RL)

Olin

Green Roof Project

• Completed in May 2005 after being designed.
• Designed, tested, and built by students David Holman ('06), Jason Lord ('06), and Jake Gold ('07), as part of an independent study project inspired by the class "Building the Eco-House" in spring 2004.
• Located on roof connecting Olin and Mudd Halls of Science
• 78 species of native prairie plants initially planted.
• Cost: $1,375 or $2.07 per sq. ft.
• Testing has shown that significant insulation advantage is achieved in summer but not winter.
• Green Roof Website

REC (Recreation) Center

• Indoor air must be ventilated by large fans to prevent CO2 buildup and poor indoor air quality, CO2 detectors were installed before 2004 to control the ventilation fans in response to CO2 levels which allows the fans to shut down in response to low CO2 levels. (RL)
  • When running, fans circulate the air in the REC Center 6 times each hour, shutting them down saves a large amount of power
• Ventillation system is also set up to use a blend of inside air (based on current CO2 levels) along with outside air. (RL)(DS)
  
  • This means that all air coming out of the ventialltion system does not have to be re-climatized.

Sayles-Hill

• Sayles Hill remodeled summer 2008.
  • CO2 sensors installed (RL)
  • Recycled and recyclable carpet squares installed.
• In 2005 the room in north-east upper Sayles was converted from a smoking lounge to a computer lab, which improved indoor air quality and maximized indoor space. (RL)

Severance Hall

• Linoleum flooring installed in 2003. (KL)
• Cork floor installed in Severance Meeting Room in 2003. (KL)

Straw Bale House

• Constructed by students in 2004 as storage space for Facilities.
• The Straw Bale House was largely an experiment and currently functions effectively as a storage space for Facilities equipment.  It is also home to a reasonable number of small mammals.

Townhouses

• Hardi Board was used for all exterior siding.  Hardi Board is a very durable alternative to wood made of fibrous concrete.  (RL)
• All non-carpet flooring installed in the Townhouses was linoleum.
  • In the summer of 2008 all linoleum in the townhouse bathrooms was pulled up and replaced with vinyl flooring.  Small imperfections in sealing with the walls had allowed water to seep under the linoleum flooring, where the organic materials in linoleum led to growing mold problems. (RL) (KL)
• Low-flow showerheads installed in all Townhouse bathrooms.

Watson 

• By 2004 Watson had been connected to the central chiller plant which runs at a higher efficiency than the unit that had been on-site at Watson Dormitory. (DS)

Willis

• Linoleum flooring installed in 1999-2000. (KL)
• Additional linoleum installed in 2003. (RL)

 

Contacts for information on this page are listed by uppercase initials.

(RL) - Rob Lamppa
Director of Energy Management and Senior Project Manager
LEED Certified Engineer
Facilities Department
email: rlamppa@carletonedu 

(KL) - Karen Lawson
Custodial Services Supervisor
Facilities Department
email: klawson@carleton.edu

(DS) - Don Smith
Senior Climate Control
Facilities Department
email: dsmith@carleton.edu