Architect: Mesick, Cohen, Wilson, Baker Architects.

General Contractor: A/Z Corporation

Williams Project Manager: Julie Sniezek

Building Committee: Michael Briggs, Rita Coppola-Wallace, Mike Evans, Marc Gotlieb, Kathryn Grifith, Michael Hartman, Scott Henderson, Ken Jensen, Nora Rosengarten, Julie Sniezek & Mike Wood

The Fort the home of first year students in the Williams Graduate Program in the History of Art.  Renovations to this building were designed and built to meet the Living Building Challenge Petal Certification and US Green Building Council’s LEED Gold Certification. Living Building Challenge is the most stringent building certification program to date. Administered through the International Living Futures Institute, it’s organized into seven focus areas, called petals. Williams has selected materials, equity and health petals for this project, meeting the highest standards.

The United States Green Building Council’s LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely recognized green building program in the world. By earning points across multiple categories including energy efficiency, water savings, resource preservation, and indoor air quality, this project has earned a Gold rating. This is the 12th Williams project to earn a LEED rating.

Over 50% of the original building structure was preserved; 90% of construction waste was diverted from landfills and the majority of all new products used on this project are Red-list chemical free. (Many building materials contain chemicals deemed harmful to humans and the environment.)  All new wood utilized in this building meets the Forest Stewardship Council’s Chain-of Custody requirements.

This all electric building utilizes geothermal wells for heating and cooling, and solar energy to heat domestic hot water. A state-of-the-art ventilation system with high rates of air filtration, flow and volume provides clean and healthy indoor air quality.  Housekeeping products meet the EPA Safer Choice Label with reduced VOC levels and avoidance of toxins.

The LBC standard recognizes that for a building to be sustainable, the design choices must lead to not only successful energy and air quality modeling but also performance over time.  To help this building “perform” well and ensure a great experience for its residents, the following best practices are encouraged:

• Wipe feet upon entering the building.
• Use the coat closet to change into indoor (or house) shoes when arriving from outside.
• Avoid perfumes, fragrances and air “fresheners”.
• When not in use, keep thermostats down in the winter and up in the summer.
• Limit the amount of time windows are open, closing when leaving a room, locking when leaving the building.
• Turning off lights and screens when not in use.
• Washing full loads of laundry (rather than partial) and air drying when possible.
• Run the dishwasher only when full.
  

Residents each have a cubby in the kitchen for personal food storage. Refrigerators and microwaves are not allowed in bedrooms.  Recycling containers are in every bedroom as well as in the dedicated recycling areas on the ground floor and basement. Refer to the College’s sorting requirements Williams » Sustainability » Zero Waste.