The Joe Rosenfield '25 Center houses the campus post office, dining, meeting areas, student affairs, and other staff offices and the offices of various student organizations at Grinnell College. Seventy staff members work in the center. Approximately 1,500 students, plus more than 200 faculty members, dine, pick up their mail, or attend other functions on a daily basis. Also, space in the Joe Rosenfield Center is regularly used by many groups outside of the college community.
Because of the many functions in the building, it is one of the primary stops when prospective students and their parents are given a campus tour. Its prominence is an excellent opportunity to educate visitors on Grinnell College's efforts to be environmentally friendly. Three large electronic screens educate the occupants and visitors on the green aspects of the building as described below.
Green Highlights:
* Site: Drought tolerant plantings that do not require any irrigation are used for landscaping.
* Water: To conserve water, the faucets in all the restrooms are designed for water efficiency.
* Energy: There are two heat recovery systems in the project, one capturing heat from the refrigeration system and the other capturing heat from exhaust air. The recovered heat is used to preheat outside air as it enters the building. When outside air does not need to be pre-heated, the excess heat from the refrigeration equipment is transferred to heat the domestic hot water. Additionally, the Joe Rosenfield Center contains state of the art lighting controls which enable the system to automatically shut off or dim lights in the Grille, dining hall or student affairs if there is adequate natural light. In many areas motion-sensors ensure lights are not left on in unoccupied areas.
* Materials: Darby Gym, the building that was previously on this site yielded 3,583 tons of crushed concrete and asphalt that was then used for backfill in the new construction. Many items were reused in other campus buildings as well as the local high school. Gym flooring was salvaged and used in the new campus center as well as in other locations on campus. An aggressive recycling program was implemented to take papers, magazines and newspapers, cardboard, plastics, glass and metal out of the waste stream. In addition, a pulper in the kitchen minimizes food waste; the food "pulp" is composted and field-applied at a local farm. Approximately 15% of the material content of the building comes from recycled materials and approximately 26% of materials are manufactured locally within a 500 mile radius of Grinnell.
* Indoor Environmental Quality: Many of the spaces are daylit, contributing to indoor environmental quality. Low emitting carpet, paint, adhesives and sealants were used in the project and the campus center is designated a smoke-free building.