[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/EngBldg09.jpg” caption=”McMaster’s new engineering building, set to open this fall, includes a number of innovative features that make it a highly sustainable site. Photo by Matt Terry. “]As the first university in Ontario to adopt and implement a sustainable building policy, McMaster is proud to be at the forefront of environmentally friendly building practices.

That's why the brand new, five-story engineering building facing Main Street includes a number of innovative features that make it a highly sustainable site. Toilets that flush with rainwater, lighting, heating and ventilation systems that sense the number of people in a room and adjust themselves accordingly and a lecture hall where professors speak from the centre of an oval while maximizing acoustics, are just some of the highlights of the environmentally-friendly structure.

The building will also give McMaster's engineering students the opportunity to learn about sustainable engineering first-hand.

“The building will serve as an excellent teaching tool,” said David Wilkinson, dean of engineering. “Both the rainwater collection pipes as well as the heating and ventilation system will be left exposed to help teach students about innovative approaches to environmental design.”

Students will not only learn from the finished building, but also its construction. By using concrete made with slag, a byproduct of Hamilton steelmaking, the building team kept 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being produced and emitted into the atmosphere. In addition, nearly all waste from the construction site is being diverted from the waste stream and wood materials are being sourced from sustainably managed forests.

Working towards his Ph.D. while serving as assistant vice-president of facility services, Tony Cupido has already had the opportunity to study the building's features up-close. His research focuses on the quality of rainwater being collected on the building's roof.

“The opportunity to apply my practical administrative and engineering skills to the new building while also being a part-time student performing research has been exceptionally rewarding,” said Cupido.

With the success of the new building's design and construction, gold level certification is being sought from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which awards points based on site development, water and energy efficiency, selection of materials and indoor environmental quality. One of four campus structures certified or targeted for certification, the new engineering building represents the future of sustainable campus construction.

“The building is a demonstration of our commitment to leadership in the training of engineers for a sustainable world,” said Wilkinson. “We want to equip our graduates with the right tools for the future.”

When the 125,000 square foot facility opens in September it will become home to the School of Biomedical Engineering, the Walter G. Booth School of Engineering Practice, the McMaster-Mohawk Bachelor of Technology Partnership and the first-year engineering program, as well as students and faculty conducting research in nanotechnology, micro-systems and other emerging technologies.

Updates and information on the new building can be found at http://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/about/newbuilding.html.

To view photographs of the new building, please click here.