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The new 15,000 square-foot RW Kern Center to be built at Hampshire College
(Bruner/Cott & Associates of Boston)
AMHERST – Earlier this year, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment announced plans to create what's called a Living Building on the campus of Hampshire College.
A Living Building is the highest environmental standard there is surpassing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and there are fewer than a dozen buildings that are so certified in the United States.
Now Hampshire College has announced that it will be breaking ground on a new 15,000 square foot two-story building to meet the sustainability requirements of the Living Building Challenge as well, according to a college press release.
The college will break ground on the multifunctional R. W. Kern Center Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m.
The building will create its own energy and treat its own waste to meet those standards.
In the press release, President Jonathan Lash described it as "a physical embodiment of the Hampshire College community's values, and a teaching tool in and of itself." It will serve as an educational laboratory showcasing Hampshire's deep commitment to addressing sustainability issues.
The project is supported by a gift from the Kern family, and the R. W. Kern Center is scheduled to open in 2016.
This would be the first new building in decades and provide multifunctional learning, teaching, and exhibition space.
The R. W. Kern Center will be the point of entry for prospective students and their families into the community, according to the college website. It will also be the home of the admissions office, serve as a hub to share information about the campus, and highlight Hampshire's mission.
The bookstore will be relocated to the building from the first floor of the Johnson Library. The building will contain exhibit areas for display of work by students and faculty and a café.
In a statement, Lash said, said: "The R. W. Kern Center provides a model for addressing global challenges and a symbol of the positive change possible in how we approach built environments. We deeply appreciate the generosity of the Kern family in making this innovative structure possible."
Bruner/Cott & Associates of Boston are the architects. The center will be built with locally sourced materials, 100kW photovoltaic array atop the roof, and have triple-glazed windows and rainwater collection systems. The contractor is Wright Builders, Inc., of Northampton, MA; principal Jonathan Wright is a Hampshire College alumnus.
According to the website, the college has obtained $6.8 million in donations toward the $9 million fund-raising goal for the project.