Green River Community College celebrates science and sustainability through design

The Marv Nelson Science Learning Center, designed by DLR Group, Omaha, Neb., and Seattle-based S.M. Stemper, is one of the latest additions to Green River Community College in Auburn, Wash. Built to engage visitors with science from the moment they walk through the door, the three-story, 74,000-sf learning center incorporates an eco-friendly design that fulfills essential science program and modern laboratory needs. Features include green touchscreens on kiosks that analyze the building's energy consumption in 15-minute increments and two classroom wings connected to vertically stacked laboratories that efficiently share utility systems. The center uses less energy than a typical campus building, says DLR.