Lexington
architect Richard Polk Jr. will be the featured speaker for a
presentation and discussion on the current state of “green” building
design and construction in Kentucky, Thursday, Jan. 12, from
2-3 p.m. in the Woods-Penniman Building Commons on Berea’s
campus.
The event is one of a group of workshops, presentations and
conferences scheduled through summer 2006 which focus on various
aspects of the Berea College Ecovillage, a sustainable residential
and learning complex dedicated last year.
Co-sponsored by Berea College and the Kentucky Chapter of the
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the event is free and open
to the public. Topics will include: What is green building, the
USGBC and LEED? What are the benefits of “green” design,
and green building projects in Kentucky, including at Berea College.
Polk is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
Accredited Professional and a principal with EOP Architects
in Lexington. Polk led the EOP team that designed Berea College’s
Lincoln Hall renovation, which in 2004 became the first building
in Kentucky to achieve the USGBC’s LEED certification.
LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing
high-performance, sustainable buildings and was created to promote
integrated whole-building design practices and recognize environmental
leadership in building, among other goals.
For the past ten years, Berea College’s commitment to
both becoming a more sustainable campus and to teaching and modeling
best practices in the region and beyond has included a variety
of educational programs, a $100 million building renovation and
construction program using ecological design and energy-saving
technology, and creation of the Berea College Ecovillage. Initiatives
include replacement of the College’s central heat plant,
now under construction, and a goal of reducing College energy
consumption 45% by 2015. For more about the “greening” of
Berea College and educational programs in sustainability visit
www.berea.edu/SENS
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