Two Buildings That Will Look the Same, but Only on the Outside

One of these is not like the other: Two new residence halls at the Illinois Institute of Technology will use different green technology. (Images courtesy Dirk Denison Architects)

My mother always said that siblings should be treated equally, to avoid any resentment between brother and sister. But if there is some favoritism at the Illinois Institute of Technology, rest assured that it’s for the greater good.

The institute is taking on a compelling new project — two projects, really — that may help advance research in green architecture. It is planning two residential buildings that will be identical in their size and layout, but the technology embedded in those buildings will be vastly different. One building, which will shoot for a gold rating in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, will have state-of-the-art but proven building systems. The other, which will shoot for platinum, will use much more experimental technology. As institute officials monitor the energy use and waste in the two buildings, they will serve as a case study for green building.

The buildings were designed by Dirk Denison Architects. Mr. Denison is an associate professor of architecture at the institute.

The platinum building will feature solar panels for hot water and electricity, wind turbines, geothermal heating and cooling, and underground ducts, situated below the frost line, which will help moderate the temperature of indoor air. The building will also have gray-water systems (which recycle water that has not been polluted by sewage), and a number of real-time energy monitoring systems, which will help occupants see how much energy they are using. The monitoring systems may also include devices that measure waste.

Both buildings, which are tentatively planned to begin construction next year, will feature greenhouses and green roofs, solar chimneys (a vertical shaft that uses convection to help with natural ventilation), and a high-performance skin, which includes super-efficient insulation and windows, solar shades, and light shelves, which bounce sunlight into the building.

The idea is that all of the platinum-level technology could be added to the other building at some point in the future. So siblings may be equal someday after all. —Scott Carlson