Chatham University
The Esther Barazzone Center on Chatham University's Eden Hall campus.

Chatham University opens sustainably designed multipurpose facility on branch campus

May 17, 2016
The Esther Barazzone Center is a dining and gathering space at the school's Eden Hall campus in Richland Township, Pa.

Chatham University has dedicated the new Esther Barazzone Center, a sustainably designed multipurpose facility on the school's Eden Hall campus in Richland Township, Pa.

The 23,000-square-foot, two-story facility serves as a dining hall and gathering space on the branch campus, 19 miles north of the main campus is Pittsburgh. The building is named for Chatham’s retiring president, Esther Barazzone, and has been designed to exceed LEED Platinum standards.

The Eden Hall campus, a former farm that the university acquired in 2008, is billed by Chatham as the
 first community in the world built from “below the ground up” as a model of green development. It eventually will be home to Chatham's School of Sustainability, and is designed to serve 1,500 students while emitting zero carbon emissions, producing more energy than it consumes and managing all storm and waste water on site.

The Barazzone Center has a commercial and teaching kitchen where food from Eden Hall’s gardens and greenhouses will be prepared. Power is generated from a mix of solar panels and natural-gas-powered microturbines generating electricity into the campus grid. The walls are earthen—using soil from the campus—with images of native trees and wood for the reclaimed from an old bowling alley.

Other features include:

  • A green wall of living plants—an installation that automatically waters itself. Herbs from the green wall will be used in the kitchen in the future.
  • A large, tiered classroom with advanced media technology and a digital data display of Eden Hall’s various systems for students to analyze.
  • A root cellar, with wood flooring that opens to the ground.

The architects are BNIM and Mithun.

Sponsored Recommendations

Providing solutions that help creativity, collaboration, and communication.

Discover why we’re a one-stop shop for all things education. See how ODP Business Solutions can help empower your students, school, and district to succeed by supporting healthier...

Building Futures: Transforming K–12 Learning Environments for Tomorrow's Leaders

Discover how ODP Business Solutions® Workspace Interiors partnered with a pioneering school system, overcoming supply chain challenges to furnish 18 new K–12 campuses across 4...

How to design flexible learning spaces that teachers love and use

Unlock the potential of flexible learning spaces with expert guidance from school districts and educational furniture providers. Discover how to seamlessly integrate adaptive ...

Blurring the Lines in Education Design: K–12 to Higher Ed to Corporate America

Discover the seamless integration of educational and corporate design principles, shaping tomorrow's leaders from kindergarten to boardroom. Explore innovative classroom layouts...