news-record.com

GREENSBORO -- Restoring historical buildings to meet modern requirements is often a tricky and expensive endeavor. Guilford College officials added another layer of complexity when they decided to also "green" the 123-year-old Archdale Hall. And it worked.

Now professors who use the office building can admire the early 20th century-style architecture without giving up comfort or worrying about high energy bills.

"Knowing that the environment you're working in is healthier, it improves your productivity," said Rex Harrell, the college's project and sustainability manager. "We've received a lot of compliments from professors."

The college completed the renovation the Archdale renovation in October and is pursuing certification of its energy and environmental improvements through the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program. Jon Varnell, the college's facilities manager, estimates the renovation will cost about $800,000.

The college overhauled the building in 1927 and 1968, nearly ridding the building of its previous charm. Renovators installed drop ceilings, carpeted the beech floors and paneled over the wainscoting.

"It was actually one of the ugliest buildings left on campus when they finished with it," Varnell said. "Our goal was to take it back to the original structure."

Construction crews revived the 1920s design by pulling up the carpet and refinishing the wood floors and removing the paneling. They insulated the ceiling and crawl spaces to preserve the exterior brick walls, and replaced the single-pane wood windows with double-pane aluminum versions.

The building also features the following: GREENGUARD furniture that can be disassembled and recycled; book shelves made of sustainably-harvested wood; a 1,700-gallon rainwater system that supplies grey water for the low-flow toilets; low-flow aerators in the sink faucets; a high-efficiency heating and cooling system; lighting sensors; waterless urinals; and LED lights.

The Archdale renovation is just one of many "green" projects the college has undertaken since President Kent Chabotar signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, which aims for institutions of higher education to become carbon neutral.

In the past few years, the facilities staff has installed a solar hot water heater system at a female dormitory, installed low-flow sink and showerheads and waterless urinals on campus, and agreed to implement at least LEED silver certification for all future buildings. The college also created a purchasing policy that requires all new electronic purchases be Energy Star or equivalent and requests that students bring only Energy Star or equivalent appliances to use on Guilford's campus.

Learn more about the college's initiatives here.