Ā鶹“«Ć½

Going for the Gold

Faculty walk through the stairwell in the Science and Nursing building at Ā鶹“«Ć½ at Stark

Photography by Jeff Glidden '87 and Mike Rich '02

ā€œThe theme of this building is science on display,ā€ says Brian Gardner, senior facilities managerā€š giving a tour of Ā鶹“«Ć½ at Starkā€™s stunning new Science and Nursing Building, which was designed by the Columbus-based architecture firm, Baxter Hodell Donnelly Preston Inc. It opened this fall and houses faculty members and classes from nursingā€š biological sciencesā€š physics and geology. 

As you walk along hallways flooded with light from floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights, you can view informational displays and watch students involved in hands-on learning and research in state-of-the-art classrooms and labs. 

But science is also on display in the 41ā€š140 square-foot, three-story building itself, which is projected to earn LEED Gold certification through its sustainability-focused construction practices and design elements. 

ā€œOne goal with LEED is to get daylight into the interior so you donā€™t have to use as much electric lightā€šā€ says Gardner, noting a light-harvesting system that uses sensors to dim indoor lights in classrooms on sunny days.

Other eco-friendly elements include low-VOC paints and coatings, LED lightsā€š a solar-generated hot water system and an energy-saving heat recovery chiller that can cool the building during moderate-temperature days. A green roof and rain garden are part of a storm water management system. And a new vertical wind turbineā€š adjacent to the buildingā€š contributes two to four kilowatts of electrical power to the building and is also used for instruction. 

Part of the Kent Stateā€™s Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future initiativeā€š Kent State Starkā€™s new building will help enhance student experiences and attract the brightest scientific minds to Stark County.

See slideshow below and learn more at www.kent.edu/stark/science-nursing-building.


Back to Fall 2015