Online Press Room: John R. Howard Hall
A green-based partnership yields leadership in sustainability and LEED gold
(Portland, Ore.)—Lewis & Clark College went for the gold and got it. John R. Howard Hall has been awarded LEED Gold certification for environmentally friendly design by the U.S. Green Building Council.
“We are honored to receive the LEED Gold certification,” said Tom Hochstettler, president. “The systems, materials and construction practices that went into Howard Hall make it a model of sustainable design and operation. In very practical ways, Howard Hall does not just sustain the environment—it transforms it. What it does for our natural environment, it also does for Lewis & Clark’s academic environment. Howard Hall is now the college’s academic center for disciplines involved in studying and interpreting certain patterns, habits and behaviors of people and society.”
Howard Hall joins approximately 40 other comparably rated buildings across the country. Seven buildings have achieved the higher platinum rating. The building, designed by Thomas Hacker Architects, earned 45 out of a possible 69 points from the U.S. Green Building Council; a gold rating requires a minimum of 39 points. Lewis & Clark dedicated the new building on Earth Day, April 22, 2005. Earlier on that same day, the college will become the first Oregon institution of higher education to sign the Talloires Declaration of International Sustainability.
“Lewis & Clark’s commitment to sustainability is not just talk; we model our sustainable efforts to the community at large,” said Tom Hochstettler, president. “We are proud to put our ‘green’ face forward.”
 The new hall is named for John R. Howard, who served as college president from 1960 to 1981. He will be the guest of honor when the building bearing his name is dedicated.
Lewis & Clark adheres to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED guidelines, a set of national standards for green building practices. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, guides the college to develop and follow the most cost-effective, environmentally friendly building strategies. Earlier sustainable construction on campus earned LEED Silver certification; Howard Hall is built to LEED Gold certification standards and is currently under council review.
J.R. Howard Hall is expected to consume 40 percent less energy than a typical building of the same size, thanks in large part to raised-floor displacement ventilation and night cooling systems. The elevator operates with 40 percent less electricity than standard elevators and does not use hydraulic fluid. And, the building’s storm-water filtration, storage, and reuse system has already won accolades from the Oregon Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The new building’s interiors feature exposed steel, unpainted concrete blocks, and polished concrete floors. The new building has a smaller footprint than the structures it replaced, but it brings a net gain of 25 offices and 14 classrooms to the campus. Contractors recycled more than 95 percent of construction debris and used low-toxicity adhesives, carpet and composite wood products throughout the building.
Howard Hall also represents the first time in Lewis & Clark’s history that a percentage for art was built into the construction budget. Three works by Portland-based artist Mark R. Smith are permanently installed in the building.
Thomas Hacker Architects designed Howard Hall as a showcase for the college’s undergraduate academic zone, which includes arts and sciences buildings, the Ronna and Eric Hoffman Gallery of Contemporary Art and the Aubrey R. Watzek Library. Walker Macy Landscape Architects designed the sustainable landscape features.
While the campus community at large had an opportunity to provide feedback and input on the building’s concept and design, Howard Hall became an educational opportunity for students in three undergraduate classes:
Environmental Studies 160: Introduction to Environmental Studies.
The student team created six posters to educate the campus community about Howard Hall’s green features. The posters, corresponding to the six LEED categories, will become part of a permanent display about green features in the building.
Geological Science 280: The Fundamentals of Hydrology.
The student team gathered and analyzed historical rainfall data, then applied hydrologic principles to determine the building’s optimal gutter sizes, expected water-flow rates, and storage needs, among other things. Landscape architects from Walker Macy incorporated the student-provided data and also installed more drought-tolerant plants, minimized lawn area and explored additional water-storage locations.
Economics 260: Environmental and Natural Resources Economics.
The students evaluated the economic aspects of capturing, storing and recycling rainwater from the roof of Howard Hall.
Photo captions:
Top: J.R. Howard Hall.
Middle: John R. Howard, who served as president of Lewis & Clark from 1960 to 1981, stands on the building’s central staircase in front of a painting titled An Intimate City, one of three commissioned works by Portland artist Mark R. Smith.
Bottom, upper-left: The building’s flexible classroom layouts (with electrical and communication cabling beneath the raised floors) support modern scholarship yet anticipate evolving uses of technology.
Bottom, right: Sky and steel meet in the soaring ceiling of Howard Hall’s third floor, home to faculty offices.
Bottom, lower-left: The building features a range of private and semipublic spaces, such as this expanded stair landing, to facilitate interaction among students and faculty. Mark R. Smith’s painting, An Intimate City, provides a colorful backdrop.
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For more information, please contact:
Tania Thompson
Senior Communications Officer
503-768-7960
taniat@lclark.edu
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