Elmhurst College, Art Museum to Explore Green Architecture

Submitted by Elmhurst College.

On Thursday, Sept. 24, Elmhurst College and the Elmhurst Art Museum will host a free “Eco-Tour” of West Hall, one of the region’s greenest buildings, in conjunction with the Art Museum’s fall exhibitionLessons from Modernism: Environmental Design Strategies in Architecture, 1925-1970.

Led by Bruce Mather, Elmhurst College’s executive director of facilities management, this one-hour tour will highlight eco-friendly aspects of West Hall and the surrounding grounds. The tour begins at noon on Thursday, Sept. 24, at the west entrance of the West Hall building, off the parking lot (www.elmhurst.edu/campusmap). The public is invited to attend.

Participants on the Eco-Tour will receive free admission to the Lessons from Modernism exhibition at the Elmhurst Art Museum, on view until November 29.

The Lessons from Modernism exhibition looks at a group of 20th Century modern architecture projects and explores their innovations in environmental design for today’s practice. The West Hall Eco-Tour brings the exhibition up to date with a contemporary example of sustainable or “green” architecture.

West Hall, which opened its doors in 2008, is a prime example of how Elmhurst College puts principles of sustainable design to work in the day-to-day lives of students. The residence hall features a solar water-heating system, eco-friendly building materials and many energy-conserving and sustainable elements in its structure and grounds. In 2009, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded West Hall a gold rating in its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. The building was one of the first of its kind in Illinois to achieve that status.

Elmhurst College is a leading four-year college that seamlessly blends liberal learning and professional preparation to educate the whole student for life in a global society. Approximately 3,200 full- and part-time students are enrolled in its 25 undergraduate academic departments and more than 15 graduate degree programs. Elmhurst College consistently ranks as one of the Midwest’s best values in higher education, according to U.S. News & World Report and Money and Forbes magazines.