News

By Jene' Young
Meteorologist
WKRG.com

Environmentally friendly architecture, or green building, is sprouting up across the Gulf Coast! When it comes to green building, you may have heard the acronym LEED. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Starting today, Faulkner State Community College is taking the lead in the state.

A groundbreaking ceremony is the start of a new way of building for Faulkner State Community College in Fairhope. Bradley Byrne, Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System says, "You're going to see people from all over the state coming here to Fairhope to see this building and learn how it was built so it can be used in other places."

The new building will house Natural Science classes and Allied Health programs, including Nursing. The President of Faulkner State Dr. Gary Branch says the need for nursing is huge! "In all honesty, we cannot afford not to build this building. The demand for our nursing program has far exceeded our ability to meet that demand."

This green building will take about a year to complete, once finished, it will save some green, by saving about 30% in energy costs or 20,000 dollars a year. Byrne adds, "The way we built buildings in the past cost us as we go into the future. For example, how much we're spending on utilities if it's not designed right. So a LEED building's not just good for the environment but good in the financial sense."

Green buildings are not only good for the pocketbook, they're good for the environment too. Mac Walcott with Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects says, "The construction recycling is pretty profound, how much less waste will go to the landfill from this building. How much less energy it uses, less water it will uses, all of these factors are pretty substantial."