My fellow scholars and I observing the architecture of the Phillip Merrill Environmental Center
On October 23 my fellow Scholars and I took a trip to the Phillip Merrill Environmental Center in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. We spent out time not only learning about the Chesapeake Bay, but about the building as well, and how it became the first Platinum LEAD Certified Building.
The Phillip Merrill Center showcased many brilliant modern sustainable architectural designs. Some of the more obvious ones being the recycled material the building is made from, keeping the cost of building the structure relatively low. Another example that I found interesting was how the buildings heating and cooling was mainly regulated by the sun. Giant windows facing the east of the building were designed into the planning with huge wooden panels attached to act as blinds, opening the blinds to heat the space and closing them to cool it. Another interesting example was the placement of the parking garage under the building to decrease the amount of impervious square feet on the property. One of the most fascinating examples of modern sustainable architectural design in this building was the bathrooms, which consisted of a complex composting system that turned human waste into compost to use on the natural plant life on the property surrounding the building.