Johnson County Community College (JCCC) in Overland Park, Kansas, has a strategic plan that calls for the college to champion environmental sustainability in the curriculum and to transform the campus into a living laboratory. Galileo’s Pavilion is a LEED Platinum-certified building that occupies a prominent position at the heart of the campus. It includes two classrooms and a student lounge arranged around Galileo’s Garden, a sculpture commissioned in 1984 and created by Kansas City artist Dale Eldred. The sculpture functions as a solar calendar and honors the spirit of Galileo Galilei.

Galileo’s Pavilion takes advantage of daily and seasonal solar cycles. Frosted glass louvers are designed to allow the low winter sun to penetrate the rooms and heat the thermal mass of the concrete floors. In summer, the louvers block direct sunlight, helping the concrete floors remain cool. Operable windows and skylights promote natural ventilation, allowing the building to be cooled with less reliance on mechanical systems. Rainwater harvesting and natural daylighting reduce the need for potable water and artificial lighting while supporting the living walls that grace the lounge and classrooms. Photovoltaic panels and a wind turbine convert sunlight and wind into electricity to power the building. Together with an advanced mechanical system, occupancy sensors, and a high-performance building envelope, these features improve heating and cooling efficiency, reduce operating costs, and extend the building’s lifespan.

The structural and finish materials at Galileo’s Pavilion were selected to reduce resource consumption. For example, the building’s facade is clad in a slate-panel rainscreen made from reclaimed chalkboards salvaged from the demolition of obsolete school buildings throughout the Midwest. The building also incorporates insulated glass units salvaged from a large nearby development that was halted after the glass had already been manufactured.