University of Minnesota, Morris, Welcome Center
2011 Environmental Initiative Awards
University of Minnesota, Morris, Welcome Center
Located on Minnesota’s western prairie, the University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM), is a national leader in campus sustainability. UMM’s sustainable development efforts include incorporating a wind power generator and biomass energy plant. This renovation of a two-story, 18,700 square-foot historic building serves two purposes: to become a gateway for all visitors (including prospective students, parents, and alumni) and be a centerpiece for the campus’ commitment to sustainable design.
Started as a boarding school for Native American youth, the school eventually transitioned into the West Central School of Agriculture with courses in agriculture, industry, and home economics. Today University of Minnesota, Morris, still offers courses related to its educational roots, along with new curriculum focusing on a renewable, sustainable education. Part of the West Central School of Agriculture and Experiment Station Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Welcome Center was originally built in 1915 as the Engineering Building. It now houses the offices of admissions, sustainability, external relations, and community engagement and the Center for Small Towns.
For the first time in its history, Morris campus has a clear entry. At the edge of the historic center of campus, the Welcome Center is easily accessible, prominent, and located adjacent to parking. Because of the wide range of visitors to campus, the building is designed to impress 18 to 80-year-olds. Visitors are welcomed by a carefully restored exterior with classic proportions, a clear entry, and signage denoting the Historic District and a new historic walking tour. The formerly dark, dingy interior has been dramatically recast—with daylit open spaces, warm colors reminiscent of the surrounding prairie, and modern furnishings. Updated space layouts provide open sightlines, clear pathways, and educational media with real-time updates on campus events, news, and sustainability information.
Contact Information
About You
First Name
Josh
Last Name
Stowers
Organization
Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd. (MS&R)
Project Contact (if different from yourself)
Project Contact First Name
Dave
Project Contact Last Name
Aronson
Project Contact Organization
University of Minnesota, Morris
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Your idea
Project Name
University of Minnesota, Morris, Welcome Center
Date of Project Completion
December 2009
Category
Energy and Climate Protection
Project Summary
Located on Minnesota’s western prairie, the University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM), is a national leader in campus sustainability. UMM’s sustainable development efforts include incorporating a wind power generator and biomass energy plant. This renovation of a two-story, 18,700 square-foot historic building serves two purposes: to become a gateway for all visitors (including prospective students, parents, and alumni) and be a centerpiece for the campus’ commitment to sustainable design.
Started as a boarding school for Native American youth, the school eventually transitioned into the West Central School of Agriculture with courses in agriculture, industry, and home economics. Today University of Minnesota, Morris, still offers courses related to its educational roots, along with new curriculum focusing on a renewable, sustainable education. Part of the West Central School of Agriculture and Experiment Station Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Welcome Center was originally built in 1915 as the Engineering Building. It now houses the offices of admissions, sustainability, external relations, and community engagement and the Center for Small Towns.
For the first time in its history, Morris campus has a clear entry. At the edge of the historic center of campus, the Welcome Center is easily accessible, prominent, and located adjacent to parking. Because of the wide range of visitors to campus, the building is designed to impress 18 to 80-year-olds. Visitors are welcomed by a carefully restored exterior with classic proportions, a clear entry, and signage denoting the Historic District and a new historic walking tour. The formerly dark, dingy interior has been dramatically recast—with daylit open spaces, warm colors reminiscent of the surrounding prairie, and modern furnishings. Updated space layouts provide open sightlines, clear pathways, and educational media with real-time updates on campus events, news, and sustainability information.
Website URL
Partners
Who were the project partners? What role did each play in the partnership, and how did the partnership operate?
Project partners and their roles include:
• University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM), Owner/Client
• Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd. (MS&R), Architect & Interior Designer
• Karges-Faulconbridge, Inc. (KFI), Mechanical/Electrical Engineers
• BKBM, Structural/Civil Engineers
• Oslund and Associates, Inc., Landscape Architect
• JE Dunn, General Contractor
During pre-design, MS&R worked with all building user groups, including the departments of admissions and external relations and the Center for Small Towns, to develop guiding principles to define success for the project. MS&R also worked with other University officials, including the chancellor, vice chancellor, facility and central plant officials, janitor, horticulture and landscape representatives, and the University’s sustainability director, as well as student groups.
Throughout design and construction documentation, MS&R employed Building Information Modeling (BIM) software. This technology allowed the design team, engineers, and contractor to work seamlessly to understand and renovate the building.
Innovation
How is the partnership and/or project goals, outcomes and process innovative or groundbreaking?
Registered for LEED Gold certification, the building incorporates the first application of chilled beams in the state and is the first building that is part of a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places to use chilled beam technology throughout the entire building. The elimination of 3,000 square feet of mechanical space frees space for open circulation, additional program area, and daylighting. This creative approach to sustainable design keeps the integrity of the historic building intact and reduces energy consumption.
Other sustainable elements include the use of reclaimed and recycled materials, daylight harvesting and the incorporation of occupancy sensors, radiant heating, and the use of wind and biomass energy. 77% more energy efficient than code requires, the building is helping the campus to achieve its goal of energy independence.
The need for additional program space threatened the integrity of the historic structure. Alterations or additions to the footprint were not permitted. To accommodate these conflicting requirements, a basement was built. It required careful planning and staging to ensure success without compromising the structural integrity of the building. Because the original brick and mortar was failing, it was also necessary to employ advance energy modeling, on-site quality control, and third party testing to ensure air-tight construction.
Other innovative technologies include:
• An energy kiosk educates visitors on the sustainable attributes of the building, real-time energy consumption, and campus-wide green initiatives. It includes an energy management system.
• The media wall (tied into RSS) welcomes visitors and provides an up-to-date news and events feed. It includes integrated event scheduling management.
• Meeting rooms with easy-to-use, integrated technology (e.g., wi-fi, video projection, and audio) allow virtual meetings, distance learning, and webinars.
Goals
Describe the project goals
Guiding design principles (developed in collaboration between MS&R and UMM stakeholders during pre-design) include:
• Respect nature and the environment.
• Achieve a net-zero energy building.
• Set a benchmark for sustainability for other campuses to follow.
• Share the story—UMM’s commitment to sustainable design.
• Create a bridge between the past and the future.
• Integrate the building into the larger campus context and the City of Morris.
• Present visitors with the essence of what the campus is about.
• Impress 18- to 80-year-olds.
• Attract and inspire potential new students.
• Attract and inspire potential new donors and alumni.
• Use the building as a springboard for students and alumni.
• Form a gateway to external and internal alliances.
• Bring together different units on campus—a multi-service access point.
• Create a functional space that meets the needs of users.
• Develop synergy between all user groups.
• Provide great indoor air quality—a healthy workplace.
• Include an optimized and maintainable mechanical system.
• Make the building accessible.
• Create sustainable gardens, including the restoration of a historic pond.
Outcomes
What were the outcomes of the project (if completed)? What have been the outcomes so far, and what are the anticipated future outcomes (if ongoing)?
As the first building on campus that prospective students and their families experience and the new site for alumni events, the Welcome Center has impacted enrollment and giving significantly in its first year:
• Degree-seeking enrollment has increased by more than 5%.
• Fall 2010 saw 419 new first-year students (up 3%) and 134 transfer students (up 30%).
• Alumni giving also increased, up 24% with an increase in the average gift amount of 13%.
• Young alumni attendance rose by 15%.
UMM anticipates continued growth in these areas, based on word-of-mouth “advertising” from new students and alumni who have been sharing the positive experience from their visit with others, as well as from publicity that the building has received.
During their recent hiring process, UMM saw a dramatic increase in the number of applications. Candidates acknowledged the impressiveness of the Welcome Center in their choice to work in admissions. Previously located in four different buildings, employees are now consolidated into one space, which has accommodated the hiring of a writer and graphic designer to fulfill the staffing plan. This dramatic change in the work environment has resulted in higher employee satisfaction.
The Welcome Center provides much-needed meeting space for staff to use for building relationships with prospective students and their families. Efficient workstations, well-planned adjacencies, and pooled resources (e.g., student employees and business equipment) have facilitated new opportunities for collaboration, improved communication, and more efficient workflow. The building’s design has allowed existing processing staff to manage the dramatic increase in applications this fall.
| 118 weeks ago Ligeia Cholensky updated this Competition Entry. | |
| 118 weeks ago Ligeia Cholensky updated this Competition Entry. | |
| 118 weeks ago Ligeia Cholensky updated this Competition Entry. | |
| 119 weeks ago Ligeia Cholensky updated this Competition Entry. | |
| 119 weeks ago Ligeia Cholensky submitted this idea. |
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