Print this page SCROB: Pennsylvania’s First Green Building
J.M. Syken
Course Outline
In this course, we will examine the background history, site development, technology, construction and operation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s first “Green” building, the South Central Regional Office Building, for the South-Central Regional Headquarters of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, located in Harrisburg, PA. What went right, and wrong, will be of great interest.
This review will include the evolution of the “Green Team” assembled to create a sustainably designed/built state facility that would serve as a model, test-bed and learning tool for state facilities to follow. The design/construction parameters set/used, computer modeling, materials, technology etc. will be the focus of discussion. As well, a critical comparison of the DEP-Cambria facility (the second PA state facility built under LEED-NC v2.0) will be included.
This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student will:
- Understand/appreciate the mandate of Pennsylvania’s GGGC (Governor’s Green Government Council) and DEP to create the state’s first “Green” building;
- Understand/appreciate the nature of the twenty-four member “Green Team” assembled to model/design/construct the facility;
- Understand/appreciate the mechanical, electrical and lighting technology used to make the building energy and water efficient;
- Understand/appreciate Pennsylvania’s “Land Recycling Act/Program” and its impact on the SCROB site;
- Understand/appreciate the nature of the site as a “Brownfield” and the measures taken to mitigate toxins;
- Understand/appreciate the nature of the materials used to minimize indoor pollution and/or eco-disruption;
- Understand/appreciate the use of renewable/recyclable and/or locally produced products/equipment;
- Understand/appreciate the role of Carnegie-Mellon University’s “Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics” in the design/modeling of the building;
- Understand/appreciate the role of the USGBC’s “LEED Pioneer/Pilot Program” in the creation of SCROB;
- Understand/appreciate the considerations made for IEQ (Indoor Environmental Quality) and IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) both during and after construction;
- Understand/appreciate the valuable lessons learned concerning both the successes and failures of SCROB’s design process, systems, materials etc.; and
- Understand/appreciate the creation of the DEP-Cambria facility on the heels of SCROB and how the lessons learned at SCROB were applied successfully.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for architects, engineers and other design professionals.
Benefit to Attendees
The attendee/s will gain an intimate knowledge and insight into the creation of Pennsylvania’s first “Green” building.
Course Introduction
The course includes an in-depth PowerPoint presentation and the viewing of a documentary film.
Course Content
In this course, you are required to view/study the following slideshow and the materials contained in the web pages:
SCROB: Pennsylvania’s First Green Building (printable handout in PDF, 1 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)
SCROB: Pennsylvania’s First Green Building (non-printable slideshow for screen-viewing only, 2 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)
Archival/Documentary Film:
TITLE: Building Green in Pennsylvania
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED9WwIaF_f8
DURATION: 29:09
Note A: Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader from your computer.
Course Summary
It was to be the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s first “Green” building, a mandate from the Governor’s office down to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to “make it green.” In retrospect, it made a lot of sense. After all, the PA DEP was/is the guardian of the state’s environment, so why not let them set the example for themselves and others to follow in their new facility. By the mid-1990s when the building was conceived, the focus had moved from the natural to the built environment with NGOs like the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) leading the charge. In fact, the new South Central Regional Office Building (SCROB) – headquarters for the PA DEP’s South-Central Region, would be selected as one of the USGBC’s LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Pilot (a.k.a. “Pioneer”) Program. Completed in May 1998, it was recognized as a model of energy efficiency and a living laboratory of “green” technologies, materials and systems, but it wasn’t perfect. As such, the PA DEP set as its goal to “get right” (what it “got wrong”) with their second green facility: DEP-Cambria, in Ebensburg, PA. The LEED-NC-v2.0 Gold Certification it earned appears to testify to their success and, in a larger sense, the leadership role Pennsylvania has established for itself in the world of Sustainable Design & Construction.
Related Links
For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=588199&mode=2
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
