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2009-06-02 issue:

AMBS receives gold certification for green building

by Mary E. Klassen

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Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind., celebrated the gold certification its library received from the United States Green Building Council with an event on June 4. The certification marks the level to which AMBS met standards set by USGBC in its Leadership in Environment and Energy Design (LEED) program.

LEED is a rating system that sets nationally accepted benchmarks for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Of the 69 points possible in the rating system, AMBS received 47, qualifying the building for the gold certification.


Eileen Saner, AMBS librarian, addresses participants at the celebration in which she unveiled the gold certification seal AMBS received from the United States Green Building Council’s LEED program. Photo by Mary E. Klassen.

The June 4 celebration was an opportunity for the seminary community to mark the final facet of the project which began with planning in 2004. Construction was completed in 2007, so the library could be ready to welcome students at the start of the 2007-2008 school year. 

Certification comes after a project is completed, so features can be documented and assessed according to LEED standards.

Nelson Kraybill, AMBS president, in announcing the certification, said, “Already 2000 years ago, the Apostle Paul said that someday ‘creation, which has been groaning in labor pains ... will be set free from its bondage to decay.’ Until that divine restoration comes, we are committed to honor God’s creation. That commitment played a central role in planning and building of this library.”

At the event, Kraybill and Eileen Saner, AMBS librarian, unveiled a seal indicating the gold certification, which is mounted next to the service desk in the library.


A view of the AMBS library, including the tower entrance and west window of the library collection area. Photo by Mary E. Klassen.

Honored in the event were librarian Eileen Saner, who had the initial vision to make the building a green building; The Troyer Group of Mishawaka, Ind., who was the architectural firm; and DJ Construction of Goshen, the general contractor. Other key participants in the project were Primera Engineers of Chicago, and Marcus Sheffer of 7group, who led the green building design process.

The building comprises approximately 25,000 square feet, including the library, bookstore, gallery and restrooms. Green building features include a geothermal ground-source heating and cooling system, triple-pane windows, efficient insulation, use of natural light and photocells that control lighting according to how much natural light is available. Materials from the region were used in the construction process as much as possible to reduce the need for transporting them, and 92 percent of building waste was recycled. Rain gardens and prairie grasses around the building help restore rain water to the underground aquifer and reduce the need for mowing parts of the 40-acre campus.

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