News > College Moving Forward On Green Complex
College Moving Forward On Green Complex Nassau, BAHAMAS – The College of The Bahamas is ready to move to the next phase of its leadership in how The Bahamas will deal with small island sustainability issues, inviting architects to submit proposals for the anticipated GTR Campbell Small Island Sustainability Complex that will be the headquarters for The College's programme in this crucial area. The facility will house classrooms; laboratories; lecturing facilities; library space; faculty offices and administration spaces. There will also be a green house; a farm house and a chemical storage facility. College officials are in talks with the government on the transfer of a plot of land to the institution at the government owned Gladstone Road Agricultural Complex, where the facility is likely to be constructed. The GTR Complex will be named after famous ship builder George TR Campbell, who is also the founder of the Freedom Foundation, which donated $10 million to The College for the development of the Small Island Sustainability [SIS] programme. The College has budgeted $8 million of that sum for the land preparation, construction and furnishing of the facility. Consultant to The College for capital works development Melanie Roach predicted that the design of the SIS facility will be challenging. Interested architectural firms have until Friday February 6th to submit proposals to The College. The complex will be a green facility in design, construction and utilization. "The facility is really going to tax the ingenuity of the design team because we don't just want a four square reinforced concrete building that you can find anywhere," said Ms. Roach. "We are looking for creative ways in which to have the facility constructed so that it is in and of itself sustainable." She envisions incorporating clean energy options and technologies in the facility's design. "The facility is going to be a living laboratory, so we want to be able to show what can be done anywhere in a small island state and we want them to be able to take advantage of the natural wind with regard to the ventilation and their placement of the building is very important," Ms. Roach added. "With regards to the landscaping, that should be incorporated into the design so that the trees provide a natural shade. There are all sorts of building technologies that can be used." The expectation is also that the facility will be powered by wind, solar or biodiesel energy in line with the green concept. Once the proposals for the facility's design have been reviewed, firms will be shortlisted and then a selection committee will conduct interviews. That committee will make a recommendation to The College Council on which firm should be selected. According to Ms. Roach, The College expects the architect to complete the design in time to go out to tender by the end of 2009 so that construction can begin in January 2010. The projected completion date is June 2011. The College develops its programmes in response to the country's needs. The issue of sustainability is a global one and for small island nations, like The Bahamas it brings peculiar challenges and a sense of urgency to address them. There is increased concern about global warming and sea level rise, waste management, development practices and food security. It is anticipated that students will be able to earn a Bachelor degree in Small Island in one of four areas of concentration: Agri-ecosystems, Eco-tourism and Development, Policy Analysis and Integrated Development Planning. Dean of Pure & Applied Sciences Dr. Brenda Cleare explained why The College is developing such a programme. "The College felt compelled to respond to this national need because as The College moves to university status it is incumbent upon the institution that it takes the lead in informing our people about these issues and how to deal with them," she said. The College expects its SIS programme to be one of the flagship programmes for the soon-to-be University of The Bahamas, attracting international students as well. "We are also hoping to collaborate with other universities that have the same type of programme and there are very few of them at this time that offer a Bachelor Degree in Small Island Sustainability. The majority of the universities offer a five year degree which is a master's degree," she said. "I also see us being a pilot study in the area [of small island sustainability] especially for the Caribbean and as we move towards university status we are able to really get persons involved in researching various areas." Meantime, the institution has been seeking input into the development of the curriculum for the programme from representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, Department of Agriculture, Bahamas National Trust and the engineering and architectural community.
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