Seminary library first with green rating
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary hosts two-day building dedication.
by Mary E. KlassenPrint Article Email to a Friend
Marking both new and historic opportunities for learning, the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind., community gathered for two days of celebration.
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary’s new building houses the library, bookstore and gallery. Photo by Mary E. Klassen.
“Our hope is in God” was the theme for the April 25-26 events which began with commemorating AMBS’s beginnings in 1958. Dedication of the seminary’s new library and renovated campus center culminated the celebration.
Nelson Kraybill, AMBS president, noted that before construction on the new building began, “the best theological collection of books anywhere in Anabaptist institutions was in a windowless underground basement, with no ground floor above it.”
Kraybill also acknowledged the contributions of Librarian Eileen Saner, who—after initial plans had been drawn up and fund-raising had begun—came to the seminary’s administrative team with a new proposal.
“She asked how we could even think of building a library that’s not green,” Kraybill reported. She asked, “Isn’t this part of our theology? If we are going to talk about peace between nations and between peoples, why wouldn’t AMBS be committed to peace with God’s creation?”
As a result, the AMBS project became the first theological library to register with the United States Green Building Council, following LEED criteria (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Actual LEED certification will come in the future after an assessment of the green features.
To meet the goal of sustainability for the future, the building has a geothermal ground-source heating and cooling system; it uses no natural gas. Other features include triple-pane windows, efficient insulation, north-facing clerestory windows that allow natural light into the building and photocells that control lighting according to how much natural light is available. Building materials from the region were used as much as possible to reduce the need for transporting them. For example, the 7,041 feet of board trim were crafted by Don Steider, the seminary’s director of maintenance, using cherry trees harvested nearby. Rain gardens and prairie grasses around the building will help restore rain water to the underground aquifer and reduce the need for mowing parts of the 40-acre campus.
This dedication service came just five months short of the 50-year anniversary of the dedication of AMBS campus buildings in September 1958.—Mary E. Klassen of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
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By Mary E. Klassen of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
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