Drew University Adds New LEED Student Center

MADISON, N.J. — The newly redesigned Ehinger Center located on the Drew University campus in Madison received LEED certification earlier this month. The upgraded facility now incorporates many green features and is the second building on campus to become certified, after the LEED Silver McClendon Hall.

In 2008, Drew University committed to ensuring all new construction or major renovations on its campus would be LEED certified, in accordance with the Presidents’ Climate Commitment. As such, the Ehinger Center’s new heating and cooling system uses 20 percent less energy than the previous system, according to a statement by Christina Notas, the university’s campus sustainability coordinator.

The redesign also includes automated shades over a large glass wall of windows that adjust throughout the day to reduce glare and keep the building at a comfortable temperature. Additionally, the Ehinger Center now features an indoor composting station, concrete pavers that allow rainwater to be reabsorbed and waterless urinals in the men’s restrooms.

The $12 million renovation was designed by Princeton, N.J.-based KSS Architects, and earned the AIA New Jersey chapter merit award in 2014. It includes a new student café, two lounge areas, a performance space, pub, administrative offices and other common areas. The space also includes an extra 3,000 square feet, a raised roofline and fireplaces, and has become one of the most used buildings on the campus, according to a statement by the university.

Before design began, KSS Architects met with the university and looked at the overall building, its projected maintenance needs and its primary users. The design team then used green strategies to create a more energy-efficient building that incorporates recycled materials.

The renovation received much of its funding through the Board of Trustees and Drew University alumni. Trustee Tony Ehinger and wife Marianne Hyzak Ehinger, who contributed $3 million toward the renovation, fueled the project, according to a statement by the university. Ehinger also raised $500,000 from members of his graduating class of 1980 to fund the new pub. Other donors included alumnus John H. Crawford, a former chair on the board of trustees, and his wife Cathie, who donated $1 million for a new lecture hall and event space. Trustee Gates Hawn and wife, Mary Ellen, contributed $300,000 for a new commuter lounge.