Designing University spaces matters. University buildings broadcast ideals by embodying:
- aesthetic standards
- historic appreciation
- technological aspirations
- economic capacity
Brown's buildings reflect the University's mission and how the educational community chooses to live. University buildings also affect the occupants and the natural environment. Beyond basic construction and design, institutional buildings require many resources for operation and maintenance. Furthermore, these places where we spend our time help shape the people we are and the people we can become.
Brown University buildings bring a wealth of academic and social benefits to the community. In measuring these benefits, Brown should also be aware of how campus buildings directly and indirectly contribute to environmental and human health problems. The decisions of building professionals determine the extent to which building construction and operations generate material waste and result in energy inefficiencies and pollution. A leading university should only hire educated and responsible design professionals committed to pursuing environmental building policies.
Brown University owns 235 buildings, containing more than 6,000,000 square feet of space. Many of these buildings are costly to operate. Daily, Brown spends precious capital by wasting water, energy, and other natural resources. Annual energy costs amount to between $6 and 8 million dollars and the campus uses about 220 million gallons of water per year, making many of these buildings costly to operate. Unfortunately, this waste is the inadvertent result of designs that merely meet dated, environmentally irresponsible code. Brown's buildings must be held to a higher standard. Future building project design must realize connections between a building, its systems, its occupants, and its surroundings.
