KTA [ Environmental Responsibility ]

KieranTimberlake Associates has practiced environmental responsibility since our inception in 1984, long before green design gained the widespread relevance it now enjoys in architectural practice and in the building industry. The principles of sustainable design continue to make up our core beliefs. We understand the need to balance the ideals of resource conservation, energy efficiency and pollution prevention with the realities of performance criteria, constructability and budget.

Over 90% of our staff members, including the two partners, are LEED accredited. We have completed several LEED Certified buildings including the LEED Platinum Middle School at Sidwell Friends School, the first K-12 Building to be certified LEED Platinum; Alice H. Cook House, the first LEED certified building on the Cornell University campus; and the award winning Sculpture Building at Yale University which is LEED Platinum.

We are national innovators in sustainable design with dozens of initiatives to our credit. In almost every instance, these initiatives are not discretionary or additive in nature, but constitute the formative acts around which subsequent design solutions are conceived. Buildings are complex networks of diverse systems operating on multiple scales across time. Our architecture explores ways to artfully interweave these systems around the programs they support. This systems approach can often enable the selective removal and replacement of one with minimal disruption to others. These strategies allow for ongoing life cycle value by reducing material, money and time dedicated to maintenance.

Integrated Design

Our view is that the current state of environmental design in architecture based upon a ‘checklist’ of opportunities leading architects, engineers and consultants to a solution, has merit and flaws simultaneously. It warrants merit because it brings an extended industry and profession into thinking directly about the environment and our design impact upon it. It is inherently flawed as it generally leads to solutions which are applied, not integrated. Instead, we advocate and practice a holistic approach to our work, incorporating and integrating systems that are not readily singularly defined or worse, separated and removed from the project after first costs are exposed. Rather, by truly integrating systems and environmental choices, the integrity of the structure becomes whole rather than a sum of individual parts.

Sustainable Design Timeline

Date	Project Description	Sustainable Features
Current	School of Information and Library Science University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina	Seeking LEED Platinum Building will be an 'information systems' for environmental results that will assist in developing future building projects on campus
Current	Center City Building University of North Carolina, Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina	Seeking LEED Silver, planned initiative Extensive daylighting system for offices and classrooms, planned initiative Green Roof, planned initiative Construction waste-reduction plan, planned initiative
Fall 2007	Sculpture Building & Gallery Yale University New Haven, Connecticut	LEED Platinum Extensive daylighting in studio spaces Curtainwall of triple glazing and insulating translucent squandrel panels combined with an exterior sun-shading system to reduce solar heat gain Highly efficient low-velocity displacement ventilation system Green roof on gallery building Gray-water systems Rainwater harvesting Pervious paving
Dec 2007	Noyes Community Recreation Center West Campus Residential Initiative Cornell University Ithaca, New York	Building is 50% below grade Extensive daylighting Green roof Renewable resource products and locally sourced materials Energy model exceeds ASHRAE code requirements
August 2006	Loblolly House Taylors Island, Maryland	High performance exterior walls Local off-site fabrication Energy recovery systems Naturally ventilated Extensive daylighting
Sept 2006 Current Current Current Current	Middle School Addition and Renovation New Field House New Quaker Meeting House New Lower School Addition and Renovation & Gym Arts Center Renovation Sidwell Friends School Washington, D.C.	LEED Platinum (Middle School) Seeking LEED Silver (New Field House, Meeting House, New Lower School and Gym and Arts Center Renovation) Constructed wetland for sewage processing (Middle School) Above/below-ground stormwater retention / water budget Extensive daylighting Natural and mechanically assisted ventilation Construction waste-reduction plan Will use 40% of the energy as a normative building Reclaimed cedar wood exterior (Middle School) Green roof (Middle School) Large-scale photovoltaic array (Middle School) Development of school as exhibition of sustainable principles
2001 - present	West Campus Residential Initiative Cornell University Ithaca, New York 5 new residential colleges with dining halls	Green roofs Optimal passive solar site orientation Alice H. Cook House (Phase One) is LEED-certified
2006	Sustainable Design Guidelines Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey	Developed campus sustainable design guidelines Developed performance metrics and benchmarks Tested within present university projects
2005	Student Union Addition and Renovation Stanford University Stanford, California	Daylighting and ventilation through new atrium Naturally ventilated offices Maximizes reuse of historic structure
2004	Atwater Commons Middlebury College Middlebury, Vermont Two residence halls and dining hall	Green roof Computer-modeled natural ventilation Mechanically assisted vertical ventilation (no A.C.) Exterior materials all local stones Materials produced and supplied within 500 mile radius Locally-harvested wood floor
2003	Capital Replacement Cost Study Yale University New Haven, Connecticut	Predictive model for building component strategies Based on differential system failure rates Long-term cost model as first-cost decision-making tool
2003	SmartWrap Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum New York Institute for Contemporary Art Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NextFest San Francisco, California	KTA/DuPont collaboration-exhibition Sustainable building envelope of future: Organic solar cells generate energy Print ink transmits energy to thin-film storage batteries Batteries power OLED's converting energy to light 100% recyclable Mass customizable Phase change materials mitigate temperature swings
2003	Melvin J. and Claire Levine Hall School of Engineering University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	First double-skin, active curtain wall in North America "Active" curtain wall functions as return air system Extensive daylighting in faculty offices Exceeds ASHRAE energy code requirement
2003	Lower School Durham Academy Durham , North Carolina	Extensive daylighting in classrooms and hallways Naturally ventilated Energy recovering systems Materials produced and supplied within 500 mile radius
2002	Little Hall Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey Dormitory renovation	Increased central campus bedspaces without expanding building Extensive reuse of salvaged materials
2001	Aerogel House Southborough, Massachusetts Single family residence	Explored use of super-insulating, transparent/translucent material
1991-2001	Campus plans for: Rider University Springfield College Connecticut College	Eliminate campus roads Increase pedestrian connections to mass transit bus stops Relocate parking to perimeters Reduce impervious coverage Develop sustainable landscapes
1999	Berkeley College Yale University New Haven, Connecticut Residential college renovation	Included invention of insulated "Berkeley" window Ventilated, double-glazed system retaining leaded-glass units 60-year lifecycle outperforms conventional insulating glass
1998	Arden Theater Company Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Warehouse conversion	Retained masonry and brick envelope Long-span structure minimized use of heavy equipment
1997	Classroom and Gymnasium Additions Tatnall School Wilmington, Delaware	Insulated clerestory maximizes daylight/minimizes heat loss No artificial light needed during daytime Self-finishing materials / no painted surfaces Renewable materials for roof deck, windows & floor
1995	Stoney Acres Bath House East Stroudsburg University East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania	Nearly 100% self-sustaining Collects rainwater Processes sewage Perimeter clerestory daylighting Natural cross-ventilation Renewable structure and cladding
1995	Sykes Memorial Union West Chester University West Chester, Pennsylvania 110,000 SF campus center	Four-story atrium provides daylight and ventilation Exterior slate wall shingles Sustainably harvested wood windows Extensive use of self-finishing materials
1993	Pedestrian Underpass Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania	Safe and inviting pedestrian underpass Reduced on-campus automobile use Open-joint and sealant-free walls Sustainable landscape plantings
1992	University Center East Stroudsburg University East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania 35,000 SF addition to campus center	Atrium inserted into existing core Innovative "suspended room" functions as daylight reflector Open-joint granite cladding eliminates sealants Self-finishing interior materials
1992	Science Center Rider University Lawrenceville, New Jersey	Separation of building systems to facilitate replacement Individual system lifecycles optimized Energy modeling Self-finishing materials Comprehensive storm water management and retention
1992	West Middle School The Shipley School Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania	Major building systems organized per differential lifecycles Each system is replaceable with minimal impact on others Innovative overlapping closure details Sealants and coatings minimized Extensive natural ventilation Extensive locally supplied self-finishing materials Sustainably-harvested wood windows
1992	Puryear Pavilion Fairmount Park Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wood-framed park pavilion	Recycled lumber
1989	Shapiro Residence Cherry Hill, New Jersey	Extensive use of renewable materials Recycled lumber
1989	Fingerspan Fairmount Park Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pedestrian bridge/sculpture	Self-finishing Cor-Ten( steel Eliminates need for repainting
1988	Tully Residence Wilmington, Delaware	Recycled heart pine for floors and cabinets Recycled lumber long-span trusses
1988	Center of Hospitality Management East Stroudsburg University Former dining hall conversion	Top-lit lobby inserted within building core for daylight Separation of systems from structure facilitates replacement Energy modeling
1988	Kaplan Residence Penn Valley, Pennsylvania Conversion of barn to residence	Facade opened to expose thermal mass Daylighting through new light courts Thermal ventilation chimney added Minimal structural intervention for new use
1988	Greenberg Residence Bucks County, Pennsylvania	Use of ground source heat pumps Use of recycled rubber for framing and finishes Preserved 10 acres of farmland as wildflower fields
1985	51-55 North Third Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Apartment conversion	Interconnected light wells and alley Daylight and ventilate deep urban block Reuse of wood and masonry minimizes new materials
1984	Lits Building Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Adaptive reuse	Innovative light wells and open courts Daylight and ventilate deep urban block

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Environmental Responsibility

Firm Philosophy