Ogden College Hall is Western Kentucky University’s new $40-million, 83,000-square-foot science laboratory facility. To earn WELLv2 Gold, the building’s design team had to thoroughly document its features and submit them for review by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The independent credentialing program uses a point system to assess building health, and 60 points are required to earn WELL Gold. IWBI awarded the project an impressive 73 points, designating it WELL v2 Gold and identifying it as the healthiest university laboratory building in the world.
WELL Certification is a particular source of pride for WKU as it represents an unprecedented investment in the health, safety and well-being of students, faculty and staff. The design of the entire building is focused on the health and wellness of its occupants. Every detail of the building was designed with wellness in mind, down to the food in the snack machines and the products used to clean the facility.
“WELL is a lifestyle choice,” said Sarah Lamere of RossTarrant Architects, the building’s designer. “It requires thoughtful, intentional decisions about how a building affects human life. From basic things like making stairs more prominent than elevators to more complex concepts like how light, art and design stimulate the senses—everything in this building was created to make people healthier.”
One of the building’s most easily recognizable features is its use of natural light. Views outside provide occupants with a direct link to nature and aid in orientation while the sun reinforces healthy circadian rhythms. Inside, natural light offsets the need for electrical lighting while helping people stay alert, focused and happier. Special laboratory fume hoods designed with glass backing even bring daylight into laboratory spaces where access to natural light is usually limited.
Less noticeable, yet equally important to health and wellness, is the indoor air quality throughout the building. Lamere and her team at RossTarrant Architects went to great lengths to specify paint, carpet and finishes with the lowest levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) possible. Toxins brought in on the soles of shoes are caught by track-off carpets strategically placed at each entry.
To maximize the building’s positive impact on the health and well-being of its occupants, RossTarrant Architects designed a series of informational graphics throughout the building. Some signs describe less obvious features of the building (like air and daylight) while others share the benefits of increased water consumption and why it is healthier to take the stairs.
This award actually marks the third time this innovative building has attracted international attention. In 2018, Ogden College Hall became the first Kentucky project ever to be recognized with a Shaw Contract Design Award when it was selected from among 500 projects representing 36 countries as a Higher Education Category winner. In 2019, it was also awarded LEED Gold by the US Green Building Council.
WHITEPAPER: Ogden-College-Hall-Science-on-Display
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About the WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) is leading the global movement to transform our buildings and communities in ways that help people thrive. The WELL Building Standard™ is the leading global rating system and the first to be focused exclusively on the ways that buildings, and everything in them, can improve our comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance, not compromise, our health and wellness.
