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Spotlight on Education: Higher Ed Leads the Way
SPOTLIGHT
on education
George Mason University’s new Institute for Digital InnovAtion will be built at the school’s
Arlington Campus near
Amazon’s National Landing headquarters. Photo courtesy
George Mason University
Higher Ed Goes Green George Mason and Virginia Tech commit to sustainability
BY KARI PUGH
Did you know that both George Mason University and Virginia Tech are internationally recognized leaders in “going green”?
Both have long track records of spearheading global sustainability research projects and investing in innovative programs to narrow carbon footprints, and now both are in the early stages of planning new campuses in Arlington and Alexandria as part of Amazon’s National Landing headquarters.
What’s at the center of both schools' plans for those projects? Sustainability, of course.
At George Mason, the goal is LEED Gold or Platinum Certification and net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050
George Mason University is requesting bids for the transformation of its Arlington campus, seeking a development partner to design, construct and operate its Institute for Digital InnovAtion.
The $250 million project will include approximately 400,000 square feet of new building space in Arlington’s Virginia Square, incorporating “advanced cyber infrastructure and green technologies” to support a mix of tech-based research programs, innovation labs
and co-working space, according to the school’s request for proposals.
“The Institute for Digital InnovAtion will anchor the Rosslyn-Ballston innovation corridor and serve as an engine of research, economic growth, job creation and new tax revenue,” George Mason University interim President Anne Holton said last year. “Private, nonprofit and public sector partners will be embedded in the innovation district with hundreds of faculty innovators, and thousands of graduate students in tech programs. This confluence of expertise and perspectives will propel the region’s innovation economy in the coming decades.”
One of the main factors in selecting a design firm will be building innovation, according to the school’s request for proposals. George Mason wants to see experience in net-zero emissions or LEED Gold or Platinum certifications for buildings similar in scope.
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, assigns ratings for site and construction impact, water efficiency, energy use and impact on the atmosphere, building materials and indoor environmental quality.
At Virginia Tech, the goal is LEED Silver certification and a building façade of moveable solar panels
In February, Virginia Tech announced the selection of the architectural firm SmithGroup to design the first building at the Innovation Campus in North Potomac Yard. Architectural drawings of the building were due to the City of Alexandria early this month, but some of the design details have already been floated through the community.
Virginia Tech's vision for the campus is "a bold new urban identity for the Virginia Tech experience that’s shaped by science, technology, and engineering around sustainability, resiliency, and flexibility, while providing spaces that foster collaboration and engagement," the school said in a statement.
Liza Morris, assistant vice president for planning and university architect, said, “We’re at an exciting juncture because we can start to visually communicate Virginia Tech’s architectural and placemaking vision for the campus.”
The first campus building, opening in 2024 at 300,000 square feet, will be LEED Silver certified, the third highest rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.
One of the more innovative features at the first campus building will be photovoltaic skin, a building façade of moveable solar panels.
The 1 million-square-foot graduate campus will be part of a 65-acre mixeduse district planned and developed by real estate firm Lionstone and real estate investment trust JBG Smith.
So, what else are these two globally renowned, green-focused dynamos up to?
Last year, George Mason launched the Institute for a Sustainable Earth to connect the school with communities, policy makers, businesses and organizations to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The school also aspires to be climate neutral, meaning net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, by 2050.
GMU’s latest environmental research project is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to assess the threat of rising sea levels and flooding to Maryland’s coastal communities.
Celso Ferreira, an associate professor of water resources engineering at Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering, is the lead principal investigator on a team that also includes the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Nature Conservancy. The project aims to find the best way to preserve Maryland's 7,000 miles of shoreline.
At Virginia Tech, the school has
Decorated barrels for Operation Rain Barrel displayed at the Arlington campus. The project was a partnership with Arlington Public Schools to engage students in learning about environmental sustainability as part of Mason’s Community Earth Week Fair. Photo by Alexis Glenn/Creative
Services/George Mason University
realized more than $6 million in energy cost savings in recent years through audits, retrofitting and infrastructure projects, and projects to change energy consumption behaviors.
The school also offers a Green Request for Proposals Program, providing university funds to student-generated sustainability projects. Since 2010, 65 student proposals have been approved and awarded more than $650,000.
In February, Virginia Tech received a $2.3 million award from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to develop an intelligent wearable analyzer for vapor exposure, called iWAVE, that can be used to measure hazardous air pollutants in real-time in transportationrelated and other workplaces.
The device would help truck drivers and others who suffer a higher risk of lung cancer due to diesel exhaust exposure.
