Built in 2009, the Sister Mary Alice Murphy Center for Hope was designed and built to provide a space that was not only open and welcoming to our guests, but also one that was healthy for people and the environment, and one that would cost less to operate. To achieve this, a team worked together to design a building with plenty of outdoor views and sunlight, healthy airflow and a multitude of other “green” design features.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System provides standards for what constitutes a “green” building based on five environmental categories. The Murphy Center is a Silver Certified LEED compliant structure. Some of the building’s features include:
- Window design allows 86% of the spaces in the building to have enough daylight to perform most tasks without electric lighting.
- Office light fixtures have controls that dim electric lights according to daylight in the room. Occupancy sensors turn lights off when rooms are not occupied.
- Water efficient plumbing fixtures enable the building to use 50% less water.
- High performance windows with LowE glass help control temperatures in the building.
- Increased insulation in the walls and roof to lower the building’s energy consumption.
- Carbon dioxide sensors are utilized to control the amount of ventilation needed to provide optimum air quality.
- Air handling units supply the building with 100% outside air to cool the building when ambient temperatures allow.
- Only Low or No VOC paints, adhesives and flooring materials were used.
- Programmable thermostats allow for most efficient use of heating and cooling systems.
- Low water use grass, trees, shrubs and plants save 57% in landscape watering.
- Front loading, low water use washing machines are more energy efficient.
- Over 15% of the building’s materials are from recycled content.
- This building diverted nearly 92% of construction waste from the landfill and directed it toward recycling facilities.
- Most of the Center’s furniture and furnishings were previously used in other businesses.
Design and Build Project Team:
Architect: Architecture West, LLC
Contractor: Alliance Constructions Solutions
MEP: Beaudin Ganze Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Sustainability: Institute for the Built Environment
Structural: CSE Consultants. Inc.
Civil: Loonan & Associates, LLC