UMaine Farmington, Kalikow Education Center
The challenge of the Education Center design was to fashion an environmentally sensitive building by adopting the LEED criteria on a modest ($145/SF) budget while at the same time providing architecture that facilitated teaching and learning.
The building is oriented to take advantage of solar energy and natural daylighting. It is heated and cooled by a geothermal heat pump system that circulates water through closed-loop wells to draw warmth from the earth in winter and return it in summer.
Sloped ceilings in some south-facing rooms reflect sunlight into the working areas of offices and classrooms. A welcoming student lounge near the entry provides study and social space.
The Farmington campus is known for its “green” stance, from the students to the president, so the design has taken advantage of an array of sustainable materials and practices:
- Geothermal heating and cooling
- High-performance wall systems
- Local materials and workmanship
- Incentives for recycling and responsible transportation
- Landscape design using native plants and no irrigation
- Use of existing site with water and sewer hookups
- Recycled materials in carpeting, wall panels, and furniture
- Recycling of construction materials
- High recycled content in structural steel
- Low-emission paints and flooring materials