Considered an alternative to fossil fuels,
renewable geothermal
power works with the
earth's temperature to
maintain comfortable
levels of warmth.
Kathleen "Kitty" Saylor, former CEO with REHAU North
America, met Hoy through a serendipitous business lunch in
Virginia. When he showed her site pictures, the Choteau native
recognized Bozeman. An impressive web of sponsors and players with MSU connections began with this lunch. Saylor notes
enthusiastically that not only were so many alumni introduced
and involved, but also these connections mirrored contributions from the College of Art and Architecture, the School of
Film and Photography, the School of Business, and the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department. Furnishings
are provided by MSU alumnus, Jake Jabs, president and CEO
of American Furniture Warehouse. For Saylor, the notion of
human sustainability takes on a broader interpretation as the
project brought her from retirement back to Montana where
she is Chief Executive in Residence with the MSU Foundation.
REHAU, an international manufacturer of polymer-based
products, contributed extensively from tambour panels at
kitchen cabinets to radiant floor elements, two types of geothermal heating units and fire suppression sprinklers. The
windows combine REHAU European vinyl framing with a
system of layered glass and film developed by another MSU
alumnus, Harlan Byker, through his company, Pleotint. The
"tilt-down" window-operating hardware not only locks out
weather but allows the windows to be opened from the top or
side depending on seasonal breezes. The film reacts to sunlight by creating an automatic shading system similar to the
non-reflective qualities of a car's rear-view mirror, a technology, Hoy notes, developed by Byker.
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