WWC Orr Cottage

Warren Wilson College - Orr CottageType of Construction: NewDate of Completion: July 2005Building Size: 6,850 sq ftMajor Funding: WWCCertification: LEED-GoldLocation: Swannanoa, NC“Our students come hereplanning to save the world.We have to do our part to liveup to that goal.”- Larry Modlin,Vice President and ChiefFinancial Officer of WWCWarren Wilson College’s (WWC) Admissions and College Relations Building was named in honor of Doug andDarcy Orr as Doug Orr was president of the college from 1991-2006. Steve Farrell, LEED AP, ofStephen Smith Farrell Architecture designed this building that also houses Alumni Relations,Church Relations, Publications, and the Web Crew. Some of the most notable features of thebuilding are that Warren Wilson contracted, built, and owns this LEED-Gold Certified building.

Warren Wilson College - Orr CottageThe construction of this building has set animportant precedence for the college as thefirst project to involve students through everystep of development. According to PaulBraese, Director of Facilities Management andTechnical Services, the beauty of the newlycompleted building is that it has been acampus project. "This is our project," he says.Doug Bradley, the supervisor for the campussupport crew had obtained his unlimitedcommercial contractor’s license allowing theschool to maintain autonomy of the building.The construction utilized the campus workcrews for labor while providing an opportunityfor experiential learning of trade skills to thestudents involved. The building consists of 20 offices, twoconference rooms, student workspace,reception areas, storage and more. Students worked on all aspects - buildingservices, purchasing, natural resources,campus support, carpentry, electric,plumbing, HVAC, paint, auto shop,locksmith, housekeeping, forestry,recycling, and landscaping.Lower level waiting area / foyer: window trimis from WWC Forest.

Warren Wilson College - Orr CottageSustainable Materials Wood siding & timber columns at entrance weresustainably harvested & milled from WWC Forest The boulder wall, steps, & terrace are all nativestone with much masonry performed by WWCalumnus The wainscoting & window trim consist of hard &soft woods from WWC Forest Hardwood flooring were cut from WWC Forest &milled at the campus sawmill Some wood was salvaged from local felled treesby a cyclical pine bark beetle infestation High-volume recycled floor tile Salvaged/Re-used products: 80 antique interiordoors, upper level desks & other furniture Rapidly renewable formaldehyde-freeWheatboard (harvested within 10 years) used incabinets, lower level desks, & shelving Other locally/regionally sourced materials: heatpump loop pipe, concrete, gravel, drywall,shingles, upper level front door, foundation drainmaterial, insulation, stucco, floor & roof trusses, &carpetSalvaged doors with stained glass allows day lighting to entermost of building, local recycled carpet, and low VOC paint.

Warren Wilson College - Orr CottageEnergyLower level office with day lighting mechanisms,Wheatboard desk tops/shelving, and salvaged desks. Geothermal HVAC closed loopsystem uses natural heating & coolingfrom the earth (70-80% more efficientthan code). The system is an 11 tonheat pump that circulates water from 3wells 400 ft below, where the Earth is aconstant 550. Icynene insulation blown into walls &roof Radiant barrier on all exterior walls California Corners & T posts used tomaximize insulation Insulation strips installed over allexterior walls for a thermal breakbetween studs and sheetrock Tyvek vapor retardant/moisture barrier Exterior paint contains “Insuladd”, aceramic powder to lengthen the life ofpaint/deter pests 1 alternative fuel parking & refuelingstation, 1 dedicated EZGO Golf Cartpowered by solar power for the OrrCottage

Warren Wilson College - Orr CottageEnergy Continued Windows are casement, doublepaned, low-e, & Argon-filled.They’re larger than normal to letmore light in & exterior lightshelves used for shading. Compact fluorescent lighting;natural daylighting simulated with50000 Kelvin lamps. Most lightfixtures are indirect cove lights(80% indirect/20% direct) withmotion detectors. The building uses half theenergy of a typical building itssize WWC purchased wind powercredits to offset 100% of thebuilding’s energy usage for thefirst 2 yrs of occupancyLarge cased windows with exterior light shelves, for summer shading, ediblelandscaping, permeable pavement and “Insuladd” in exterior paint to lengthen thelife of paint and deter pests.

Warren Wilson College - Orr CottageSite & Water Conservation Re-used site of Early Learning Centerlocation College pledged not to build on anadjacent green space equal to thedevelopment footprint for the life of thebuilding Light pollution reduction from interior lights A bio-retention trench captures runoff fromthe building & filters it before draining intothe Swannanoa River Dual flush toilets & low flow, sensoractivated faucets. Piping/fixtures in placefor installation of waterless urinals whenapproved by NC Utilized floor to ceiling heights to minimizewood waste & sheetrock waste wasreduced by 75%. All stud walls were ‘fingerjointed’, to reduce waste. 90% of the construction waste wasdiverted from Buncombe County landfill dueto efficient material use & recycling by theRecycling Crew Native, drought resistant, & ediblelandscaping Local stone used on/around thebuilding Permeable driveways & patiosPatio with local stone (permeable), mitigated outdoor light pollution, walkoff mats, and the wainscoting & window trim are made of hard & softwoods from WWC Forest

Warren Wilson College - Orr CottageDual-flush toilet and high recycled contenttile in lower level restroom.The bio-retention trench that captures runoff from the building & filters itbefore draining into the Swannanoa River.

Warren Wilson College - Orr CottageIndoor Air Quality & HealthInterior light shelf reflects light upwards to ceilingsto provide soft daylighting. When no sun,daylighting simulated with 50000 Kelvin lamps withindirect cove lights (80% indirect/20% direct). Daylighting design; large windows & useof recycled antique glass-paned doors asinterior walls means that 90% of normaloccupancy spaces benefit from natural light& views. Light shelves inside & outsideoffer shade & the inside shelves reflectlight upwards to the ceilings to provideadditional soft daylighting Digital controls for building. Lighting,equipment, & ‘plug’ loads areindependently monitored to trackconsumption. CO2 is monitored & an ERV isused to provide fresh outside air. Theexterior wall envelope is thermallymonitored to determine the wall tempoutside & inside of the radiant barrier. All interior paints, clear coats, glues, &carpet are low-VOC & green-housekeepingwith Green Seal approved products only. Interior-exterior walk-off mats promotecleanliness & health During construction, duct openings werecovered to prevent dust/dirt from collectinginside

Warren Wilson College - Orr CottageGreen Seal approved cleaning productsdispenser in lower level.Lower level recycling area and student work lists.

Warren Wilson College - Orr CottageBiagio Scibetta, a WWC graduate and theproject coordinator, said, "We learned a lot oflessons in design, construction coordination,and materials from the EcoDorm project, butwe didn’t build that facility. This is the firstgreen building on campus that we built andwe were able to do it because we were thecontractor and are the owner.”For more information:www.warren-wilson.edu/ elc/

Warren Wilson College - Orr Cottage Warren Wilson College's (WWC) Admissions and College Relations Building was named in honor of Doug and Darcy Orr as Doug Orr was president of the college from 1991-2006. Steve Farrell, LEED AP, of Stephen Smith Farrell Architecture designed this building that also houses Alumni Relations,