by Audrey Buck

Stuckeman Family Building

http://greentour.psu.edu/sites/stuckeman.html

To explore sustainable LEED buildings, we don’t even have to travel off campus; the Stuckeman Family Building, home of the university’s architecture program, is located on the North side of campus and is a certified Gold LEED building. Stuckeman was created by Pittsburgh-based WTW architects. The 111,000 square foot design, situated behind the Palmer Art Museum, is extremely recognizable by it’s recycled copper facade and durable brick construction. In accordance to LEED’s green building standards, Stuckeman was built with 87% locally sourced materials.

http://greentour.psu.edu/sites/stuckeman.html

http://greentour.psu.edu/sites/stuckeman.html

The building is innovative in its attention to details such as low-maintenance plant materials, use of natural light, and innovative water collection systems. The roof has a system of cisterns that collect waste rainwater and reroute it to the landscaping surrounding the building. The low-maintenance native plants require no other watering than what is provided by the rain irrigation system.

The architect of the building also chose to integrate native plants into the interior of the space by installing permanent concrete planters in the entry hall. The designers also met more LEED standards inside by installing all recycled carpet, natural finishes, and buying “Green Guard” furniture.

http://greentour.psu.edu/sites/stuckeman.html

http://greentour.psu.edu/sites/stuckeman.html

What I find most interesting about this building is the ventilation system they have employed. The floors within Stuckeman, from the second to the fourth, are open to one another. I can stand at my studio desk and look up all the way to the fourth floor. The older year students who are located on the top floor can watch from the balconies as the first years struggle through their first, strenuous project and reminisce. However, this isn’t the reason they organized the floor this way; the open floor plan allows energy-efficient motorized windows to breath some fresh air into the entire space. When the weather is right, the wind and temperature conditions are optimal, the windows are mechanically opened and the building is cooled without using any extra energy.

Do you think campuses should institute policies to encourage construction of green buildings? Would that contribute to students’ education?

2 Responses to “Stuckeman Family Building”

  1. dvr5279

    The fact that you know so much about this building, and LEED buildings like this, shows how passionate about this subject you are. I hadn’t heard about sustainable LEED buildings until I read your post, and that makes me believe that you are right about how campuses should construct more buildings and teach students more about sustainable buildings.

  2. cxp5292

    I liked how you made this post very relatable for the Penn State student by incorporating a building here on campus! It was interesting how you talked about the furniture and carpet being green too as well as the building. And it was very interesting to know that it was built with a lot of local materials. I now feel more informed about Penn State.

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