Oberlin builds green

(Photo by Barney Taxel via the AJLC website)

Earlier this month, Inhabitat posted about Oberlin's Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies. Not just a place to learn in, the building is meant to be a place to learn from. One of the great elements of the building is the Living Machine, a water and waste purification system modelled on wetland ecosystems. According to David W. Orr (Professor and Director of Oberlin's Environmental Studies Program),

"We intended to create not just a place for classes but rather a building that would help to redefine the relationship between humankind and the environment."

Speaking of "green" campus constructions, work on the MLSB (to be designed to LEED Silver Standards) seems to be more or less humming along. Check out some plans that are to be presented in mid-August (of particular interest are the Site Plan and Lawn Avenue Concept). It looks like the new building will be placed flush against Exley, with several senior woodframes sacrificed to make room for it and a terraced lawn. Documents relating to the project can be found on your Blackboard.

Links:
List of William McDonough + Partners other academic projects
AJLC Website
Payette Website (architects doing Wesleyan's MLSB Building. We made it onto the College and University Clients PDF list..)