Merry Lea's Collegiate Facility

Building a Sustainable Future

Home Grown Hardwood

Most people do not know where the walls around them came from. But students at Merry Lea's future collegiate facility will be able to visit the forest that provided the wood that shelters them.

The tulip poplar above is one of the trees that will become siding for the facility. It grew on a family farm just 20 miles from Merry Lea and is certified as sustainably grown by American Tree Farm.

Architects chose tulip poplar siding for the collegiate facility to match existing buildings and to take advantage of native materials.

Indiana's rich soil produces high quality hardwoods, including tulip poplar. In fact, the tulip poplar is the state tree of Indiana.

 

MATERIALS

Building construction uses 40% of the world’s annual resources, from wood to water to plastic. Hence, choosing what goes into the construction and furnishing of a building is an important part of the sustainable design process. As designers select materials for Merry Lea’s collegiate facility, they will consider the following questions:

Where can we find products with high levels of recycled content? Salvaged or refurbished products?

How far did our materials need to travel? Buying materials that were manufactured, extracted, harvested or recovered locally or regionally cuts down on the fossil fuels used to transport them and supports the local economy.

Where can we use rapidly renewable materials? Cork and bamboo flooring, cotton insulation and soy solvents are examples of products made from rapidly renewable sources. Once bamboo plants are three or four years old, they can be continually harvested without harming the plant.

How can we recycle or salvage construction waste?

What products are most likely to keep our indoor air healthy? How can we avoid using volatile organic compounds in paints and adhesives?