When Student Village 2 is complete, rooms will have environmentally friendly toilets with two handles — one for No. 1 and one for No. 2.
The green buildings will also have rooftop rainwater systems to curb the flow of runoff into the Charles River. Thermal glass and glazing will reduce heat and air-conditioning costs, and the natural-gas boiler on Buick Street will heat the Boston University dormitory scheduled to be completed in 2009.
The alternatives are part of BU’s effort to build “efficient projects,” according to Paul Rinaldi, the Space Management director.
“The word ‘efficiency’ is not limited to dollars and cents,” he said. “I have participated in projects where efficiency is designed to extend the life of a facility and reduce maintenance costs.
“Electricity, heat, even water use is all part of applying efficiencies to a major project,” he added.
Architects followed standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a part of the U.S. Green Building Council.
“As we design and talk with the architects, we incorporate a number of features that are green,” said BU spokesman Colin Riley. “All of those features help with the efficiency and are environmentally friendly and conducive to keeping operating costs lower.”
The new dorm will have motion detectors that control lighting and air conditioning. Rooms will go into “rest mode” if no one is moving, Rinaldi said.
“We were trying to think of how to save air conditioning,” Rinaldi said. “We didn’t want to set it on a timer. We didn’t want the person to wake up and find out there was no heat, no lighting.”
Some School of Management classrooms, which are 11 years old, already have these motion detectors installed, Rinaldi said.
“Boston University has really been [implementing eco-friendly practices for] a number of years,” Riley said. “It has really reduced water consumption and kept costs down in electrical uses and heating uses.”
Convincing more students to live on campus reduces the environmental impact because they cause fewer emissions from transportation, Rinaldi said.
“I think the university’s ethics to reduce energy consumption and to implement cost reductions in [environmental] areas is important,” Riley said. “Certainly, the university as an institution respects and would want to contribute positively to that.”