John J. Sbrega Health and Science Building
Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA
At Bristol Community College, where applied knowledge and interdisciplinary learning converge, the John J. Sbrega Health and Science Building stands as a bold vision for the future of sustainable higher education. Completed in 2016, this 50,600 square foot facility not only fosters hands on learning across the sciences and health professions, but it also sets a national benchmark as a Zero Net Energy (ZNE) and LEED® Platinum certified building, one of the first of its kind for energy-intensive science programs in a cold climate.
The building supports a wide range of programs, from field biology and biotechnology to nursing, dental hygiene, and clinical laboratory sciences. Designed as a shared resource, it fosters cross disciplinary collaboration and puts science on display through glazed walls that connect flexible instructional labs to a central, light filled atrium. This “learning commons” functions as a student living room, an open, inviting environment for study, gathering, and informal learning.
From its inception, the project was challenged to balance the demands of a technically complex program, high plug loads, fume hoods, strict ventilation requirements, with the College’s deepening commitment to climate action. When a pause in funding aligned with the College’s decision to build a 3.2 MW on-site solar array, the design team seized the moment to pivot from a high-performance design to one that could achieve full energy balance: Zero Net Energy.
The result is a building that consumes less than 20% of the power generated by the campus array and uses no fossil fuels for heating and cooling. Achieving ZNE for a program this dense required a holistic suite of solutions, natural ventilation, high-efficiency systems, localized heating and cooling, hybrid-source heat pumps, air quality sensing, reduced air change rates, and heat recovery via enthalpy wheels, all without increasing the project’s budget. A wider indoor temperature range and enhanced monitoring further ensure long-term energy performance.
Beyond its technical achievement, the Sbrega Building reflects a new educational paradigm: one where transparency, adaptability, and sustainability underpin the learning environment. Here, students don’t just learn about environmental responsibility, they live it. As the College continues toward its 2050 carbon neutrality goals, the Sbrega Building serves as both a cornerstone and a catalyst, a vibrant, interdisciplinary home where the future of science, health, and climate leadership is being written every day.
