The
Merrill Hall Story
The long
process of rebuilding started the day after the May 2001 fire.
Coming back from the fire's devastation during a
downturn in the national
and state economies took its toll on the staff, faculty,
students, and
supporters who have tirelessly worked to get the
building rebuilt. The fire
destroyed the main administrative area of UWBG. This
included four labs,
offices for 30 people, the Miller Horticultural Library,
the Hyde Herbarium,
and set back faculty and student research several
years. The WSU Cooperative
Extension and Master Gardener programs also suffered
devastating losses to
their programs, also housed in Merrill Hall.
Merrill
is one of the first buildings in Seattle to be considered "
green". Green buildings are epitomized by the acronym, LEEDTM
that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
Created by the U.S. Green Building Council, it is the standard
rating system by which green buildings are measured in the
U.S. There are many features in Merrill Hall
that work toward achieving a green rating. Come tour Merrill
in the next few months and learn all about them. The City of
Seattle
now requires all new city buildings to achieve a LEEDTM "Silver" rating,
which is the third highest rating possible. Merrill Hall has
achieved LEEDTM Silver.
Learn
more about the design process from a presentation by architect
Craig Curtis: pdf file.
June 2007 Office Hours video with UW President Mark Emmert, featuring Merrill Hall
Sustainable Features in the new Merrill Hall
- Water use reduction: Waterless urinals and low-flush toilets
help to reduce
water use in the new building by more than 35%.
- Irrigation monitoring: By linking the irrigation system to a
campus weather
station, sprinklers only turn on when needed.
- Stormwater recyling: A 2,200 gallon underground cistern will
store roof
runoff to be used to water the demonstration green roof, located
at the
Courtyard level for easy viewing.
- Natural ventilation uses strategically located windows and fans
to draw
warm air up and out.
- Solar panels located on the Miller Library roof will generate
enough
electricity to serve the lighting needs of the building's main
floor.
- Green roof plantings help to reflect heat and thus reduce
the urban "heat
island" effect.
- Building materials contain few volatile organic compounds normally
present
in paints, glues, sealants, and carpets.
- Recycled/renewable products include a bamboo floor, straw board
cabinets,
furniture hand crafted from salvaged urban trees, and recycled
concrete.
Script of Guided Tour of Merrill Hall (pdf)
With Many Thanks
The rebuilding of Merrill Hall would not have been possible without
the
generous support of the following individuals and organizations:
University of Washington * UW College of Forest Resources * Washington
State
University * Northwest Horticultural Society * Pendleton and
Elisabeth Carey
Miller Charitable Foundation * Bullitt Foundation * Master Gardener
Foundation * Peach Foundation * Patsy Collins * Yugi Koide and
members of
the Japanese horticultural community * the Hinckley family *
Seattle Garden
Club * Mary Robson * Simpson Investment Company, Office of the
Chairman *
Urban Hardwoods * Davis Wright Tremaine * Chen Ragen, LLC * more
than 500
other individuals, groups and businesses
Merrill
Hall - A Model of Green Building