To achieve the Gold rating, Sage Hall’s design incorporated solar thermal collectors on the roof, radiant heating and cooling in the floor slabs, and deep light shelves to optimize natural lighting. Local, renewable and recycled materials were used wherever possible, and storm water is managed on-site. The design and placement of the building addressed issues of access, visibility, and proximity to other academic buildings.
While its interior incorporates the latest technological advances, Sage Hall’s exterior brick and cast stone respect the aesthetics of the rest of campus. The main entrance addresses the rest of the campus and the core academic buildings, which provided much of the inspiration for Sage Hall’s fenestration and material composition.
The exterior forms and materials of the 191,000 SF structure were selected for visual interest while still relating to the historical core of campus across. A dark, Norman style brick maintains material similarity with the older campus buildings, while the brick’s glazed surface allows light to play across the building’s north and south curved exterior walls, creating a different effect in each new season and time of day. Cast stone panels depicting “the Wisdom of Nature” and “the Nature of Wisdom” add an element of craftsmanship to the façades of the taller classroom wing, and offer an additional nod to traditional materials and techniques.
