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Boston University is taking a major step towards sustainability with its 19-story, 350,000 square-foot building planning to be finished in 2022. The building, which will be the tallest on BU's campus, will combine the math, statistics, and computer science departments.
Plans for the building are in line with the university's climate action plan, which was approved in 2017. The plan revolves around eliminating carbon emissions totally be 2040, estimated to cost $141 million, based on the city's suggestions for rising sea levels. The building was designed by KPMB Architects.
The 19-story building will stand five feet above the recommendation from the city of Boston based on forecasts of sea-level rise, protecting it from flooding of the nearby Charles River.
BU says the building will be the school's largest and the most energy-efficient building when it's finished in 2022.
The building will be a "vertical campus," with highly-trafficked labs and classrooms on lower floors, department rooms on upper floors, and social gathering spaces on the roof.
The building will be totally free of fossil fuels and incorporate energy-saving tech.
Energy for the building will come from geothermal wells, and no gas pipes will be connected to it.
Special, triple-glazed windows will manage interior temperatures to reduce energy use.
Designers incorporated details like shading systems designed to reduce glare on computer screens.
The design isn't only focused on environmental concerns. As an academic building, some rooms will feature whiteboard walls that foster learning and collaboration.
Boston University is located in downtown Boston, so the design also incorporates the city itself.
The design includes sheltered pathways from harsh Boston weather, along with green spaces.
They will connect historic Brownstones to other buildings on campus.
Here's what the building will look like on Boston's skyline, along the Charles River.
