Wanna go green? Sometimes there’s no choice

July 20, 2011 - PRLog -- LINFIELD COLLEGE

Given the constraints of an unusual historic building, it was the only option for Linfield College. The school recently completed the rehabilitation of its 1936 library, but many areas of the old structure offered only five inches of ceiling space for heating and cooling system upgrades, which typically require at least a foot.

Building designers came up with an unconventional solution. They installed radiant ceiling panels used for both heating and cooling, one of only four such systems in Oregon.

John Hall, the Linfield director of capital planning who oversaw the rehabilitation, said the college fit new technology into a building never designed to handle it.

“This renovation has been one of the most complicated, challenging projects of my entire career,” said Bob Krippaehne, senior project manager for Portland-based Walsh Construction Co.

Benefits of the radiant system include a projected 30-percent decrease in energy use. And the building, with educational signage, will teach students about the next big revolution in business, construction and engineering — the green industry.

“We worked with Walsh and SRG Partnership to look at construction costs, life-cycle costs, and most importantly, the long-term impact on the environment,” said Glenn Ford, vice president for finance and administration at Linfield. “Even though the project presented challenges, it made sense both economically and in terms of sustainability to reuse the existing structure.”

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