On Thursday, September 24, Elmhurst College and the Elmhurst Art Museum will host a free “Eco-Tour” of the College’s West Hall, one of the region’s greenest buildings, in conjunction with the Art Museum’s fall exhibition, Lessons from Modernism: Environmental Design Strategies in Architecture, 1925-1970.

Led by Bruce Mather, Elmhurst College’s executive director of facilities management, this one-hour tour will highlight eco-friendly aspects of West Hall and the surrounding grounds. The tour begins at noon on Thursday, September 24, at the west entrance of the West Hall building, off the parking lot. The public is invited to attend.

Eco-Tour participants will receive free admission to the Lessons from Modernism exhibition at the Elmhurst Art Museum, on view until November 29.

The Lessons from Modernism exhibition looks at a group of 20th Century modern architecture projects and explores their innovations in environmental design for today’s practice. The West Hall Eco-Tour brings the exhibition up to date with a contemporary example of sustainable or “green” architecture.

West Hall, which opened its doors in 2008, is a prime example of how Elmhurst College puts principles of sustainable design to work in the day-to-day lives of students. The residence hall features a solar water-heating system, eco-friendly building materials and many energy-conserving and sustainable elements in its structure and grounds. In 2009, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded West Hall a gold rating in its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. The building was one of the first of its kind in Illinois to achieve that status.