Boston, MA and St. Paul, MN – The Institute for Global Citizenship (IGC) exemplifies Macalester’s mission, showcasing a commitment to internationalism and community participation in a building that demonstrates
a new standard for energy conservation and sustainable design. As a result, the building is a
citizen of the world.
The IGC unites three academic units that previously were dispersed across campus: the
International Center, the Center for Civic Engagement and the administrative offices of the IGC.
Principally a series of offices, workrooms and conference rooms, the program is organized on
three floors around a central gathering space.
The design acknowledges the conservative architectural traditions of a mid-western campus while
also embracing other architectural traditions from across the world. The texture and finish of each
surface responds to solar orientation to create the widest possible array of patterns, textures,
shapes and shadows. These patterns change with time of day and the season of the year.
The IGC is the first project implemented after the ratification of the college’s 2005 Master Plan.
The Plan identified the IGC site as an important gateway to Macalester’s campus and link to the
St. Paul community.
The IGC is designed to withstand Minnesota’s frigid winters and hot humid summers. A super
insulated envelope surrounds the workspaces maximizing occupant comfort with individual
operable windows, an abundance of natural light and individually controlled radiant heating/
cooling panels.
The design exceeds the 2030 challenge’s 2010 goal of 50% reduction, is performing 63%
better than the base case energy model, and has achieved LEED Platinum certification. This
performance was accomplished by sensibly siting and massing the building, and then designing
the high performance envelope. The construction cost was competitive with the cost of other high
quality campus buildings recently completed in Minnesota.
The low cost of electrical energy in Minnesota made the payback for photovoltaic systems
unfeasible, and the region’s coal-sourced electricity generation made ground-source heat pumps
unattractive. Instead the greatest efficiencies were achieved by connecting the new building to
the campus central utility plant. The energy load of the new building is less than the load of the
building it replaced. As an added benefit, LEED process induced Macalester to upgrade their
central chiller plant to meet contemporary standards.
The IGC’s occupants are delighted. In addition to excellent access to daylight and views, the
temperature controls and operable windows in the individual work spaces have led to peer
requests for similar spaces. An unexpected consequence is the low ambient noise level within the
workspaces. Not only is the traffic noise from the adjacent intersection prevented from entering
the building, the hydronic heating and cooling system eliminates the noise attributable to fans and
duct turbulence.
As the first project built after the campus master plan, the IGC provides a benchmark for future
construction. The design team worked closely with senior administration, building users, and
campus facilities in a process that focused on whole building design and measurable results. The
resulting thermal performance and occupant comfort are being incorporated into Macalester’s
campus standards.
Monitoring has demonstrated that the building has performed 16% better than the design energy
model for the first 8 months. Persistent monitoring of energy trends has resulted in beneficial
adjustments to control sequences.
Building specifics:
The IGC’s design emphasizes passive strategies while relying on the building envelope, thermal
mass, and a low-energy HVAC system to reduce carbon footprint and improve comfort.
Solar orientation, appropriate window-to-wall ratios (30% south, 20% east/west, and 10% north),
natural ventilation, solar shading, and thermal mass are primary passive strategies. In its first
cooling season, the IGC required only 1.5 kBTU/sf of cooling energy, proving these strategies
work.
A superb envelope reduces heating loads dramatically. Envelope specifications include triple-
glazed windows and super-insulation: R60 roof, R40 walls, R20 basement walls, and R10
underslab. Continuous air barriers were tested to .12 CFM50 per square foot of envelope, some
10 times tighter than the average non-residential building. Construction details avoid structural
thermal bridges. These strategies also make passive survivability realistic in a brutal climate.
A low-energy HVAC system meets the remaining loads. The building takes only a ‘small sip’ from
the central campus plant. DOAS with high-performing enthalpy wheel ventilates the building,
decoupled from heating & cooling loads. Radiant panels & floor slabs alternatively heat and cool
building occupants. A “Mean Radiant Temperature” comfort approach per ASHRAE Standard 55
was employed to make system selections and optimize system controls.