Ambitious eco-friendly building draws visitors to Maharishi University of Management
by Global Good News staff writer

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12 March 2013

'We get lots of visitors,' said Dr David Fisher, about the Sustainable Living Center on campus at Maharishi University of Management.

It is a unique building that attracts a wide range of visitors, said Dr Fisher, chair of the Sustainable Living department and primary advocate for the design and construction of the building.

'There are lots of environmental buildings out there on other campuses as well,' said Dr Fisher. 'They are all pretty impressive in their own ways.'

But what sets the Maharishi University of Management building apart is its ambition.

'I don't know of any [other building] that is even attempting to be something as ambitious as off-grid, let alone trying to meet the qualification for four different building certification standards.'

Most eco-friendly buildings on other campuses are happy to meet just one standard, the LEED Gold certification, for example. 'We are just far more ambitious,' Dr Fisher said.

A few visitors from other universities have commented that, though they worked for larger and wealthier schools, such an ambitious and far-reaching project 'would never even get off the ground'.

Some visitors to the Sustainable Living Center have asked if it is possible to be fully in accord with the different standards of the four approaches: LEED Platinum, Living Building Challenge, Building Biology, and Maharishi Vastu architecture.

Mr Fisher said that, surprisingly, the four building philosophies are actually quite compatible. He spoke of only one main contradiction.

'Both in LEED and Living Building Challenge, they value using recycled building materials, timber, wood, flooring, etc,' said Dr Fisher.

But Maharishi Vastu architecture, though it requires natural, non-toxic building materials, values materials that have not been used before.

Dr Fisher explained, 'You want to have a clean, clear, and free element from nature when you build a building.'

See previous articles in this series:
∙ Sustainable Living Center moves closer to full self-sufficiency
∙ Sustainable Living Center 'the most ambitious environmental building'
∙ New master's degrees in Sustainable Living to launch next year at MUM
∙ Popular Sustainable Living department to offer MA and MS degrees: Maharishi University of Management
∙ Sustainable Living Center truly local, community built
∙ Master's in Sustainable Living to provide community assistance, valuable skill set
∙ Sustainable Living Center self-sufficient for water, greenhouse soon finished

Copyright © 2013 Global Good News Service



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