McKelvey Hall at WashU Aligns with LEED and WELL Criteria
Part of the largest capital project in Washington University's (WashU's) 125-year history, James M. McKelvey, Sr. Hall completes the final stage for the East End Transformation of Danforth Campus in St. Louis, Missouri. Sustainability and occupant well-being were essential objectives for the university.
To meet the project's numerous design goals and performance requirements, Tubelite Inc. and its representative, Doug Urich of ARCHON Fenestration Technologies worked closely with the design and building team. In addition to Tubelite, WashU's 86,500-square-foot McKelvey Hall project was supported with products and services from Wausau Window and Wall Systems, Viracon and Linetec.
Going for Gold Perkins Eastman led the design of McKelvey Hall working closely with St. Louis-based Patterhn Ives as associate architect and WashU's Facilities Planning & Management. As the new home of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, McKelvey Hall was designed to be 30% more efficient than a standard building. It is on track to achieve LEED® v4 Gold certification or higher through the U.S. Green Building Council.
The project team followed an integrated design process incorporating the principles of sustainable design with attention to energy efficiency, low-impact materials, reuse and recycling, quality and durability, and health and wellness. Every material selected for McKelvey Hall was screened against a multitude of variables, including LEED v4 requirements, Red List chemicals, healthcare-level standards outlined in the Healthier Hospitals Initiative and the WELL Building Standard™.
Looking Forward McKelvey Hall's three-story structure respects WashU's architectural legacy by incorporating Missouri red granite and limestone masonry. Bridging the Collegiate Gothic style reminiscent of European universities and carrying the campus forward, the modern aluminum-framed glass façade serves as a dramatic window into the school's innovative, computational research and connects students with views of the surrounding campus.