Sustainable Architecture on the North Carolina Coast: The Ocean Science Teaching Center (Beaufort, NC)

The Ocean Science Teaching Center (OSTC) at the Duke University Marine Laboratory (DUML) in Beaufort, NC will demonstrate the feasibility of sustainable architecture in-coastal North Carolina. In the early 1990s, Dr. Joe Ramus proposed building an additional lecture hall to alleviate the stress that increased enrollment and technical demands had placed on DUML's teaching spaces. Designed according to the most recent version of the US Green Building Council's LEED rating system, this gold labeled Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design new commercial construction will serve as a benchmark for future sustainable construction at the Marine Lab. The US Green Building Council forms a national consensus for sustainable building, design, and maintenance standards. The LEED rating systems create frameworks for measuring progress, assessing building performance, and tracking building goals. The LEED rating system for new commercial constructions and major renovations is broken down into six sections: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental air quality, and innovation in design. While constructing LEED certified buildings requires more time and money, each new construction makes the process less expensive and less time consuming. The Ocean Science Teaching Center will serve as an example of sustainable architecture on the North Carolina coast, demonstrating water and energy saving devises. Coastal residents, architects, and contractors can look at the building's plans for sediment and pollution control as well as its regional and recycled material selections when planning future buildings along the coast.