What Makes The Morse Green?

Sustainable design is becoming increasingly popular among new construction. Restorations are inherently greener but they tend to be more costly and subsequently less popular. The Morse Theatre is a relatively small scale renovation/restoration, making it an uncommon green project. When finished, it is expected to qualify for United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Silver Level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Certification. LEED Certification is the nationally recognized benchmark for the design and construction of high-performance, energy efficient buildings. LEED promotes sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health.

1. Sustainable Site Development

• Historic Restoration:
  Originally built in 1912, this historic building's front facade will be fully restored while the interior is being completely recreated. The lower front façade was "remuddled" with brick about 30 years ago, destroying much of the original terra cotta. As the brick is stripped away, the terra cotta facade will be restored and recreated to make The Morse as historically correct as possible.
  
  
• Centralized Location:
  Located within close proximity to Chicago's Red Line mass transit stop at Morse Avenue, several bus routes, and equipped with bike racks; the theatre will be convenient for non-drivers who may attend a show, enjoy a nice meal, or come in to work.
  
  The Morse will soon hire approximately 50 local employees; supporting the community, and encouraging short commutes. The owners, managers, and architecture firm currently working on The Morse are also locally based.

2. Water Savings

• Plumbing:
  The new low-flow plumbing systems will help The Morse conserve approximately 1 million gallons of water in 4 years, that's an average of 600 gallons per day and 30% less consumption than a typical plumbing system.
  
  
• Green Roof System:
  A green roof system will occupy half of the roof; about 3,600 square feet. The existing building sits on its lot line leaving no space for ground-level landscaping. The extensive green roof will provide an area for native and adaptive vegetation without landscaping irrigation. It will also insulate the building, and minimize storm water runoff into the city sewer system.

3. Energy Efficiency

• Insulation:
  The exterior walls will be retrofitted with an R-30 radiant barrier insulation system for enhanced thermal protection and conservation of energy. Also, half of the roof will be covered in a highly reflective TPO roofing material to aid the R40 - R50 roof insulation to protect the building from the heat island effect.
  
  
• Heat Recovery:
  The heat recovery system will collect and reuse rising heat from the stage lights in the winter. This will reduce heating costs and reuse energy instead of letting it go to waste.
  
  
• Lighting:
  The Morse's LED and fluorescent lighting will consume less energy, last longer, and create less physical waste than standard lighting. Almost half of the stage lighting and the entire marquee, typically all incandescent and neon, have been designed using LED light.
  
  The marquee, with its LED lighting system, will require approximately 1500 watts to operate which is equivalent to the use of an electric toaster oven. It will use only 15% of the electricity a typical marquee of equal size requires to operate.
  
  Offices located on the second floor conserve energy by taking advantage of southern facing windows. They will receive more daylight and solar heat reducing the need for electricity and heat.
  
  Occupancy sensors will turn off lights when rooms are not in use to eliminate wasted electricity due to human error.
  
  
• Solar Water Heaters:
  A solar water heating system with 340 square feet of panels will sit on the north side of the green roof. This will heat 550 gallons of water per day (weather permitting) to be stored in a pair of 120 gallon holding tanks in the basement. This is about 70% of the projected daily hot water needs for the theatre and restaurant. The Morse plans to reduce their carbon footprint by avoiding up to 15,000 lbs of annual CO2 emissions that would have been otherwise created by a traditional water heater. The solar water heater is fully automatic, maintenance free, and will last for decades.
  
  
• Eco Elevator:
  The elevator consumes approximately 50% the energy of conventional traction machines and about 30% of the energy of hydraulic machines.

4. Materials Selection

• Construction:
  Many materials being used during construction have been produced within a 500 mile radius of the site. This saves resources that would have been otherwise wasted on transportation over excessively long distances.
  
  During renovation over 75% of waste materials from demolition were sorted and recycled.
  
  
• Finish Products:
  • Carpet tiles will contain 56% recycled materials.
  • Chairs and booths will be covered in fabric made from wool, a renewable resource, or PVC free vinyl along with formaldehyde free substrates.
  • Drywall and acoustical tile ceilings will use recaptured gypsum, 100% recycled paper, fly ash (a byproduct of coal-fired utility plants), and slag (a byproduct of steel manufacturing).
  • Employee lockers will be made from 100% recycled plastic.
  • The main staircase wall and bathroom floors will be covered with recycled aggregate and glass tiles in a dramatic color scheme.
  • Bamboo flooring, a rapidly renewable resource, will be used instead of hardwood on the theatre's main floor and stage. Moulding and trim in the Theatre's lobby will be bamboo as well.
  • Recycled wood from fallen trees in the Chicago area will be used to build the bar and decorative trim in The Century Public House.

5. Indoor Air Quality

• Air Conditioning and Refrigeration:
  The air conditioning and refrigeration units are responsibly chosen and will contain no harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) which are known contributors to the holes in the Earth's ozone layer.
  
  
• Paint and Carpeting:
  For healthier indoor air quality, The Morse will use only low VOC paints and adhesives for wallcoverings and flooring. These products contain minimum amounts of volatile compounds, like formaldehyde, which are commonly found in standard carpet, paint, and adhesives. All of the carpet to be used is certified by The Carpet and Rug Institute as Green Label Plus indicating it has achieved stringent criteria for low chemical emissions.