Green construction takes root on St. Louis campuses

Call it what you will – green building, sustainable construction, living environments – but the goal is the same: reduce the overall environmental impact of buildings and create more healthful surroundings in which to live and work.

The movement has found ideal, innovative advocates in St. Louis’ universities and colleges and is having a strong influence on the way they view their real estate portfolios.

“College campuses were not the first to get on board, but once we did, we probably became some of the most vocal supporters of green construction,” said Matt Malten, assistant vice chancellor for sustainability at Washington University.

Merrilee Hertlein, a senior associate with Mackey Mitchell, said the push for sustainability often comes from students as much as administrators. Eighty five percent of the work at St. Louis-based Mackey Mitchell Architects comes from campus-related projects, all of which are designed with sustainable elements.

“The generation that’s on campus now has a better understanding of the problems created by a throw-away society and know they will inherit the responsibility to deal with them,” she said.

Read the full story in the St. Louis Business Journal.