With the opening of the new home of the Irving Institute on the horizon, we're planning a range of programs and activities and look forward to welcoming our campus community into this beautiful space. The Irving Institute and the Dartmouth Sustainability Office (which will relocate to the first floor of the building) have also enlisted the help of two teams of Design Corps students to assist us with ensuring that the building's unique energy and sustainability features are accessible to our campus community and that students are excited to connect, learn, eat, and just hang out in the new facility.
The Design Corps program, part of the Thayer School of Engineering's Design Initiative at Dartmouth, connects student teams with departmental clients to put their engineering, design thinking, and liberal arts training to work to improve some aspect of campus life. Here are the two challenges the student teams are working on:
Making Energy Visible
Team members: Kiera Bernet '23, Avery Hormaechea '24, Annie Qiu '24, Sanne Schouten '23
The new Arthur L. Irving building is an energy superstar. The building is expected to consume less than 20 mmbtu/sq foot, putting it in the top tier of building energy performance. However, it is possible for an occupant to enter the building or even work in it every day and never know that the building is exceptional since it will feel "normal" and "comfortable." How may we make the building's energy performance visible?
Bringing the New Irving Building to Life
Team members: Judy Guo '24, Ana Sumbo '22, Kira Parrish-Penny '24, Clara Hahn '22
New buildings are exciting but also do not necessarily become instant hubs of student activity. The new Irving building is expected to open in January 2022. It will be home to the Irving Institute for Energy and Society, the Dartmouth Sustainability Office and several faculty members. What will bring the building to life? How might we make this building a hub of student activity and a "home" for students with a variety of interests?
The projects are currently underway with the students touring the construction site, interviewing stakeholders, and more. The Irving Institute and Sustainability Office are excited to see what recommendations the teams have as work continues.