Kalamazoo College is a small liberal arts with roughly 1,200 students based in Michigan that is known for its personal approach to students education and study abroad programs. Climate action and sustainability are points that the college is taking seriously with having a 5-Year Climate Action Plan on top of also having composting and recycling programs and Living Learning Labs that students can utilize.
In 2021 Kalamazoo College’s new and improved Natatorium opened upgrading the original facility that opened in 1968. The college worked with Tower Pinkster to upgrade the facility to create the 28,000 square foot facility to have a 10 lane pool, separate diving area, better ventilation, spectator viewing areas and locker rooms. One of the most innovative parts of this new pool facility is the implementation of a chloramine evacuator system to maintain a healthy indoor environment for swimmers and visitors. Chloramine is a chemical byproduct from the chorine in pools to keep it clean and is the reason the pool facilities smell so strongly of chlorine and can irritate skin and lungs.
Kalamazoo’s Natatorium received the USGBC West Michigan Chapter’s Innovation Award in 2022. This award is designed to honor projects that are breaking the mold of standard building construction and helping to push the boundary of what is possible. Besides utilizing an innovative filtration system for the pool some of the other ways in which this facility is breaking the mold are utilizing energy efficiency methods such as gutter exhaust being captured to pretreat ventilated air. According to Tower Pinkster “The dedicated outdoor air units that serve the spectator areas and locker rooms both utilize air-to-air heat exchangers to conserve energy and provide optimized indoor air quality to occupants”.
One aspect that this project took very seriously was the Sustainable Sites category achieving 7 out of a possible 10 points. Within the credits achieved where for: Rainwater Management, Heat Island Reduction, Light Pollution Reduction and Site Assessment. Within these points it shows the importance that having a site that is invested in utilizing aspects as effectively as possible. The categories that it missed where for Open Space and Site Development-Protect of Restore Habitat. Given that it is a college campus there is limited area in which the facility would be able to be built on and only so much open space on campus.
Energy & Atmosphere is a category that Kalamazoo’s and many other natatoriums do struggle in credits wise only achieving 8 out of a possible 53 credits. Granted, this scorecard added the Optimize Energy Performance (2024 Update) Category where the facility achieved 0 out of 20 points the original Optimize Energy Performance category only achieved 4 out of a possible 18 credits. Places where the facility was able to achieve credits for the energy performance of the building where for Advanced Energy Metering, Demand Response, and Enhanced Refrigerant Management. Within pool facilities one of the hardest part of the energy usage is the amount of energy it takes to maintain the facility as a whole. Investing in green power, further optimizing filtration systems and commissioning systems can boost the credit score and help to continue to future proof the facility.
One area that has always interested me in the LEED scorecards is the Regional Priority Credits category as they are always niche depending on the location of the project and project type. Kalamazoo’s Natatorium was able to achieve 3 out of 4 possible credits for: Enhanced IAQ Strategies, Surrounding Density & Diverse Uses and Rainwater Management. The only credit that was missed was for High Priority Site but given that it is on a college campus there are limitations to zoning and permitting when it comes to building.
Interested in Learning More?
Tower Pinkster Article: https://www.towerpinkster.com/media_press/kalamazoo-college-natatorium-wins-innovation-award-for-sustainable-design/
USGBC: https://www.usgbc.org/projects/kalamazoo-college-natatorium