Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will christen its $52 million Science Building West Monday, Nov. 4, at 3:30 p.m. The event will be open to the public until 6 p.m.
SIU President Glenn Poshard, SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe, Interim Provost Ann Boyle and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Aldemaro Romero will be in attendance.
The facility incorporates laboratories for faculty and student research initiatives in a state-of-the-art learning environment. It opened for use during the 2013 fall semester.
Three departments, including chemistry, biological sciences and environmental sciences, have moved into Science Lab Building West. Physics, mathematics, statistics and the STEM Center will stay in Science Lab Building East.
The new building features the newest renewable power source on campus – a 30 kilowatt solar array. The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF) provided a $103,000 grant to provide financial assistance to reach the goal of providing a portion of the new building’s electricity via the sun’s rays.
The ICECF collaborated with the University, Illinois Capital Development Board, Hastings & Chivetta architects, BRiC Partnership engineers and contractor JF Electric, Inc., to make the $230,000 solar array functional and effective.
With the array’s electrical output displayed on video monitors in the building, there will be a continuing demonstration of renewable solar power’s possibilities and practical application.
Other Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) features include use of non-heat absorbing roofing materials; low water use plumbing fixtures; high efficiency insulating materials; collection and use of recyclable materials; sun shades on the south and west facing windows; high efficiency window glazing; lighting and air conditioning occupancy sensors, and active teaching displays showing building energy use.
The next phase of the project is a $30 million renovation to the existing Science Lab Building East that will begin in early 2014.