It’s official! Salem State University (Salem, MA) broke ground for its new library and learning commons on December 7. University president Patricia Maguire Meservey and Jacob Segal, chair of the university’s board of trustees, were joined by local political leaders and top state education officials in a ceremony on the university’s north campus.

The 124,000 square foot facility replaces the previous campus library, which was closed in late 2007 for concerns about its structural safety. The four-story library will include instructional labs, group study rooms, and a testing center, and ...[more]

The McClay Library at Queen’s University Belfast, in Northern Ireland, has received the 2010 Sustainability Award from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), it was announced today.

The Library, which won the 2010 RICS Northern Ireland award earlier this year, was chosen over category winners from the other RICS geographic regions across the UK for this prestigious national award.

As one of the judges noted in the announcement, “The new Library is proving an invaluable resource for students at Queen’s University, Belfast. The building achieves excellence on two fronts: in terms of providing essential educational support and through ...[more]

The LINK took top honors in the 30th annual Valley Forward Environmental Excellence Awards, announced in Phoenix on October 2. The mixed-use building, which was renovated in 2008, received a Crescordia (first place) Award (Commercial/Mixed-Use) and a Merit Award (Historic Preservation).

In contrast to prevailing trends, the LINK boldly chooses to preserve the cultural identity of the structure’s facade and neighborhood while re-purposing it. Located at the heart of the Phoenix Cultural District, the 7,000 square foot LINK re-purposes the structural shell of this two-story mid-century commercial structure and, ...[more]

Courtney (Stern) Janes, an interior designer with Shepley Bulfinch, is profiled in the latest issue of Suffolk University’s alumni magazine.

In the article, Interior Motives, Courtney (Suffolk MAID ’08) discusses interior design, her work at Shepley Bulfinch; and what it means to have a personal commitment to sustainability and to work in a firm that makes it a priority.

Suffolk magazine article

Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Sherman Hospital are among five healthcare facilities recognized for their environmentally responsive design in “Code Green: Examining the Prognosis for Sustainability in Healthcare,” in the August issue of Eco-Structure magazine.

Sherman Hospital opened its new healthcare campus in Elgin, Illinois, in December. The hospital’s 15-acre geothermal lake, which is expected to save the hospital more than $1 million annually over conventional heating and cooling costs, was a creative response that began with the need to manage storm water runoff for the 15-acre site and ...[more]

The Lovett School’s Portman Middle School in Atlanta has received LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council in recognition of the school’s highly sustainable design and construction.

The project’s highly sustainable attributes include a green roof, which features an outdoor classroom and demonstration garden for water harvesting; a water collection and recycling program; the use of rapidly renewable materials; the recycling of construction waste; and a “Building Dashboard.” In addition to its LEED Gold certification, the project has earned an Energy Star rating from the US Environmental Protection Agency and ...[more]

One of Northern Ireland’s newest landmark buildings – the McClay Library at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland – was officially opened today by one of the University’s most famous alumni, Nobel prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney.

Speaking at the event, Dr Heaney lauded the new library, saying, calling it “a lightship for scholarship…” He went on to comment on how the library represents the role of technology in transforming how students learn.

Illuminated by a multi-story open atrium, the 196,000 square foot building accommodates 2,000 reader places and 1.2 million volumes. ...[more]