Shop Talk: University Takes Flak for C+ in Sustainability; Earthquake Worries in the West

A drawing of the U. of Maryland’s planned Knight Hall (U. of Maryland image)

A lackluster grade in College Park: A freshman at the University of Maryland at College Park, after taking the university to task for getting a grade of C+ on the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s College Sustainability Report Card 2008, goes on to ask why the university isn’t seeking a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating for Knight Hall, a journalism-school building that is on the drawing board. “I don’t see why we should settle for a B building if making Knight Hall LEED-certified could be a possibility that still exists,” writes Alexandra Adler in The Diamondback, the student newspaper. “With natural-light-maximizing site placement, a zoned heating-and-cooling system, well-insulated double-paned glass, energy-efficient lighting, and water-conservation technology, current plans for Knight Hall are clearly eco-friendly.” But the journalism dean told Ms. Adler that the cost of the project limited what could be done.

Seeking FEMA funds in Oregon: Clatsop Community College, in Astoria, Ore., plans to ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency for $1.5-million to help stabilize two 1920s buildings that engineers say would probably collapse in a big earthquake. According to the Associated Press, the college expects to spend $15-million to $25-million on the renovations, including $7.5-million in state money.

Redwoods renovation becomes a makeover: Earthquake worries are also involved in the expansion of what started out as a $40-million renovation plan on the Eureka, Calif., campus of the College of the Redwoods—and became a $100-million plan to move the campus center, replace two buildings, and construct a third. According to The Eureka Reporter, the campus is “directly over active secondary traces of the Little Salmon Fault.” Under complex provisions of California law, the newspaper says, “buildings that house humanities, science, student services, administration, and the theater complex could not be built today where they now are.” Another provision of the law “prohibits alteration of structures that lie over active faults when the cost exceeds 50 percent of the value of the structure.” One problem is finding sites on the campus where new buildings can be safely erected. It took seven years of surveying just to find a place to build the library, and one of the few remaining building sites is occupied by the college softball field.