U Pennsylvania to Hold Groundbreaking for Green Building
The University of Pennsylvania will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a new green building on campus, the Horticulture Center Complex. The Complex is slated to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The 20,840-square-foot facility will feature an efficient ground-source heat pump, a green roof, photovoltaic panels, and photocell sensors to automatically dim the electric lights in use on bright days to reduce energy use.
U Texas Arlington to Hold Groundbreaking for Green Building
The University of Texas at Arlington will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Engineering Research Complex. The building will make extensive use of daylighting, have 40 percent of its roof covered in plants, capture up to 48,000 gallons of rainwater in underground tanks for use in landscape irrigation, and use landscaping that requires little water. The University expects the building to achieve LEED Silver certification.
Ithaca College School of Business Receives LEED Platinum
The Ithaca College (NY) School of Business has received LEED Platinum certification. The 38,800 square foot Dorothy D. and Roy H. Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise, which opened with the start of the spring 2008 semester, features a vegetated roof, a south-facing wall of glass, extensive us of natural lighting, and a storm water reclamation system. Ithaca College purchases 50 percent of the electricity used for the building from renewable sources. The building received 56 points in the LEED certification system.
Park U Opens Green Residence Hall
Park University (MO) has officially opened Copley Quad Student Residence Hall, an 86,000 square feet building designed to LEED Silver standards. The design incorporates recycled content carpets, carpet pads, and underlayments. Plumbing in the building uses low-flow fixtures, with a projected water reduction of 40 percent compared with similar buildings.
Rochester Institute of Technology Building Receives LEED Gold
The Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) College of Applied Science and Technology building has received LEED Gold certification. The 43,000 square-foot building, which opened in April, features rainwater reuse systems, lighting and climate control systems, and a curriculum that uses the building as a teaching tool.
Saint Xavier U Opens Green Residence Hall
Saint Xavier University (IL) has opened a new green residence hall. The 36,664 square-foot building was built with the goal of achieving LEED Gold certification. The new hall was designed to use both natural and mechanical ventilation, and a 50-foot high circular glass stair tower draws tempered air to assist in summer night pre-cooling and winter heating. The structure also features solar panels on the roof and a rain garden that filters roof water runoff. In addition, 100 percent of its power comes from a mixture of renewable energy sources and carbon offsets.
Suffolk U Residence Hall Earns LEED Gold
Suffolk University's (MA) 10 West Residence Hall has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The renovated building features low-flow plumbing fixtures, a bike storage room, EnergyStar products, and low-emitting materials such as carpets, sealants, and paints. The Residence Hall also contains signage that informs occupants and visitors of its green features.
U Illinois Urbana-Champaign Opens Green Business Building
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has opened its Business Instructional Facility, a building that features solar panels, a green roof, and an energy-efficient heating and cooling system. The University is seeking LEED Platinum or Gold certification.
Wilson Community College Opens Green Student Center
Wilson Community College (NC) has opened its eco-friendly Student Center. The building features a ground source heat pump for heating, a light-colored roof, and energy efficient windows and insulation. WCC hopes to achieve LEED Gold certification for the new building.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Opens Green Residence Hall
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) has opened its new green, 232-bed, apartment-style student residence hall. Temporarily named East Hall, the new residence hall features a green roof, a large number of windows to maximize the amount of natural light, dedicated storage for bikes, and 12 parking spaces reserved for hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles. WPI hopes the new dormitory will achieve LEED Gold certification.
Harford Community College Building Receives LEED Silver
Harford Community College’s (MD) renovation of Joppa Hall has achieved LEED Silver certification. As a result of the LEED principles used in the renovation, Joppa Hall has reduced its energy consumption by 30%. Green features include a storm water management system that removes pollutants from the building and parking lot runoff; three green roofs; secure bike storage and changing/shower facilities; and designated carpool parking spaces. Additionally, 75 percent of the construction waste was recycled, healthy indoor air quality was carefully maintained during construction, and low VOC products were used.
Pacific U Building Receives LEED Gold
Pacific University's (OR) Berglund Hall has received LEED Gold certification. Berglund Hall is the third building on campus to have received a LEED Gold rating. The new $12 million building is home to the College of Education.
Alfred U Breaks Ground on Green Res Hall
Alfred University (CA) has broken ground on Ann's House, a new residence hall on campus. Green features of the 48-student, 15,000-square-foot building will include rooftop solar panels, a high-efficiency heating system, and low VOC materials.
U Colorado Boulder Business Building Receives LEED Gold
The University of Colorado at Boulder Leeds School of Business has earned LEED Gold certification for the construction of a new addition and also renovation of the old section of its building. Student fees helped fund $17.5 million toward the $34 plus million project.
Dickinson College Residence Hall Receives LEED Gold
Dickinson College's (PA) Center for Sustainable Living student residence, known as the "Treehouse," has achieved LEED Gold certification. Green features include highly efficient heating and cooling systems, dual flush toilets, low-flow fixtures, and the capture of gray water for sewage conveyance. Additionally, the house has all Energy Star appliances; was built with recycled, regional and salvaged materials; and includes provisions for alternative transportation such as a bicycle storage facility and pre
Rhode Island College Res Hall Receives LEED Certification
Rhode Island College's new 367-bed residence hall has received LEED certification. The 127,500 square foot structure, which was completed in August 2007, features an air/vapor barrier to seal the building from drafts, a high efficiency HVAC system, a white Energy Star roof, recycling centers for students, low VOC indoor finishes. Additionally, over 56 percent of the construction trash was recycled, totaling over 750 tons, and over 27 percent of materials were supplied from within 500 miles of the project.
Richard Stockton College Breaks Ground on Green Campus Ctr
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey has broken ground on its new 153,000 square-foot campus center, which has been designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. The building will run on the campus' existing geothermal well-field, will have a digital building management system that will monitor and control how the campus center can best operate on alternative energy sources, and its roof will collect stormwater to irrigate an onsite rain garden of native and adaptive plant species. The project is scheduled for completion in early 2011.
Simon Fraser U Building Wins Earth Award
The Simon Fraser University Arts and Social Sciences Complex 1 has won an Earth Award from the Building Owners and Managers Association of British Columbia. The Earth Awards recognizes excellence in environmentally sound office building management and design. The structure features a cistern underneath the building’s inner courtyard that can store more than 50,000 gallons of rainwater for irrigating; variable-speed drives on pumps, fans, compressors to meet changing load requirements, reducing consumption and prolonging equipment life; and 50 percent recycled steel content in architectural columns and the substitution of as much as 50 percent fly-ash in place of cement for architectural concrete.
SUNY Cortland Residence Hall Earns LEED Certification
The State University of New York at Cortland's Glass Tower Hall has received LEED certification. Completed in 2005, Glass Tower Hall features bike racks, changing stations for renewable energy cars, and environmentally friendly outside lighting.
U Illinois Chicago Begins Green Renovation
The University of Illinois at Chicago has begun its first green building renovation project on campus, with hopes of achieving LEED certification. The Lincoln Hall project, which is being funded through student fee revenue, will feature geothermal heating and cooling and thermally insulated windows. UIC expects the building to be complete in the summer of 2009.
Hillsborough CC Opens Green Building
The Hillsborough Community College (FL) South Shore campus has opened its first building, a 55,000 square foot structure that was built to achieve LEED Gold. The building features an east-west footprint that limits heat absorption and maximizes light, a water reclamation system that allows for rainwater to be used for irrigation and plumbing, and indoor lighting that automatically dims in the presence of natural light.
Maharishi U of Mgmt to Construct Self-Sustaining Green Building
The Maharishi University of Management (IA) has announced plans to construct a self-sustaining building on its campus. The structure will feature mechanical systems that allow the building to generate and use its own electricity, treat its own fresh water and wastewater, and conserve enough energy and water to be self-sustainable. Wind and solar energy will produce the building's electricity, but there will also be a backup biodiesel generator. In addition, a collection system on the roof will route 90 percent of rainwater into a cistern for non-potable uses and the rest into a treatment system for consumption. Drinking water will be treated by ozone, ultraviolet light or a combination of both methods, and wastewater will be treated in a septic field that drains into a wetland, where plants filter out any excess nutrients. The Sustainable Living Center, which is being built to earn LEED Platinum, will house classrooms, a research lab, a greenhouse, a metal and wood workshop, a kitchen, and offices.
U Victoria Opens Green Building
The University of Victoria's (BC) has opened its new social sciences and mathematics building which features two green roofs and several patio gardens that help insulate and capture rain and moisture. Other features include using grey water for watering greenery, energy efficient lighting, natural ventilation and recycled materials in its construction. UVIC hopes the new building will achieve LEED Gold.
Georgia Tech Computing Building Receives LEED Gold
Georgia Tech's Christopher W. Klaus Advanced Computing Building has received LEED Gold certification. Silver certification was the goal when constructing the project, but the building ultimately received enough points to receive the Gold certification. The structure features storm water runoff that is managed and recovered in underground cisterns; extensive use of recyclabled building materials; high-efficiency heating and cooling systems; native plants in the landscaping; and waterless urinals.
Northwestern U Building Awarded LEED-CI Gold
Northwestern University’s (IL) Wieboldt Hall has been certified LEED Gold for Commercial Interiors. The renovation project for the School of Continuing Studies achieved the certification by using recycled materials and by reducing power, energy consumption, and the construction waste. To reduce energy and water usage, new energy-efficient fluorescent lighting fixtures were installed throughout the area of renovation. Lighting control was accomplished via programmable dimming and relay panels and low voltage controls. New plumbing fixtures reduce water consumption and sewage.
U Michigan-Flint to Convert Abandoned House into Green Laboratory
The University of Michigan-Flint has announced plans to convert an abandoned house close to campus into an Urban Alternatives House (UAH), which will be used as both a classroom and laboratory to teach and explore better ideas for urban living. The UAH will provide an example of an energy efficient building that can be monitored and used to illustrate the functioning of energy generating devices, storm water management systems and landscape management. In addition to the UAH, University Outreach and the Department of Earth and Resource Science have adopted the vacant lot immediately south of the property and will be working to clean and beautify it. The Department plans to turn the lot into an urban garden.
Duke U Residence Hall Receives LEED Platinum
Duke University's (NC) Home Depot Smart Home, a 10-person student residence hall for green living and learning, has achieved LEED Platinum certification. The building features a green roof, solar cells, and rainwater cisterns. The Smart Home was designed to be adaptable, environmentally sustainable and technologically integrated. In addition to being built with recycled and sustainable materials, Smart Home boasts a fiber-optic network with the fastest Internet access on the campus, about 40 gigabytes per second.
Furman U Opens Green Cottage
Furman University (SC) has opened its Southern Living Showcase Home, Cliffs Cottage. The Cliffs Cottage was built to be a model of environmentally responsible design, sustainable building techniques and materials, and energy-saving systems. The building features bamboo flooring, insulated windows, rooftop solar panels, a rainwater collection system, and organic and formal gardens. The cottage is currently open for public tours.
2 Northern Michigan U Res Halls Receive LEED Certification
Northern Michigan University's Meyland and Van Antwerp Halls have received LEED Certified and Silver ratings respectively. While renovating the two buildings, NMU recycled more than 250 tons of metal piping and wiring, used recycled and locally produced materials when possible, and reduced regulated water use by up to 60 percent by installing dual-flush toilets and low-flow showers and faucets. Additionally, the buildings' new furnishings were made with environmentally farmed, quickly renewable Malaysian hardwood and were manufactured in Indiana. The replaced beds were donated to RE-MEMBER, a nonprofit organization that supports residents in need in South Dakota. Other furnishings were donated to the town's Habitat for Humanity chapter.
Central College Breaks Ground on Green Education Building
Central College (IA) has broken ground on its future education and psychology building, a structure that is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 57,748 square foot structure, scheduled for completion in the fall of 2009, will feature renewable and energy conservation technologies, a green roof, storm water recycling, and natural landscaping. The three-story building will provide new classrooms, office and instructional space.
DePauw U Building Receives LEED Gold
The DePauw University (IN) Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics building has received LEED-NC Gold certification. Located in the DePauw University Nature Park, the building was designed to minimize impact on the environment. The building features a white roof that reflects the sun and thereby reduces demand for air conditioning; awnings that serve to admit the winter sun for passive heating and shade the building from the summer sun; and rooms that are equipped with motion sensors which automatically turn off lighting in unused areas. Additionally, the structure was built using local limestone and locally harvested trees.
Furman U Library Awarded LEED Gold
The Furman University (SC) James B. Duke Library has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The newly renovated building also received the 2006 Sustainable Design Award from the Carolinas Chapter of the International Interior Designers Association.
Richland College to Build Green Science Building
Richland College (TX) has announced plans to build a new science building that will include special construction for harvesting sunlight, cisterns that irrigate rain water to other parts of the campus as well as interactive devices in restrooms that users control. Some building materials will be recycled, such as the carpet, and local vendors will be utilized as often as possible to minimize exhaust fumes from lengthy transports. The décor will even be eco-friendly and is to include a geology pit for a hands-on “field learning” for the students. Richland is striving for LEED Platinum certification.
Vanderbilt U Residential Building Receives LEED Gold
Vanderbilt University (TN) has received LEED Gold certification for The Commons Center, a building in which first-year students will live in a smaller community where they will be next-door neighbors with faculty. The Commons Center is 28 percent more energy efficient than a typical building of its type. Environmentally friendly features and practices at the center include hood exhaust systems in the kitchen that increase efficiency by more than 30 percent. The building will also save an estimated 900,000 gallons of water per year through the use of waterless urinals, dual-flush toilets, and low-flow fixtures. Special materials, paints, and adhesives were selected for healthy indoor air quality. In addition, there is signage throughout the building with information about the green features, as well as a brochure and a tour that is available for download onto an MP3 player.
Building Designed by U Kansas Students Awarded LEED Platinum
A new arts center designed by a group of University of Kansas graduate architecture students has received LEED Platinum certification. The building features wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, geothermal climate control, recycled building materials, and among other sustainability features. The building was designed and constructed by the students to honor the one year anniversary of the May 2007 tornado which devastated the town.
Michigan State U Breaks Ground on Recycling Center
Michigan State University held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Recycling Center. The new facility will accommodate three times the amount of materials of the current recycling facility. A new comprehensive recycling program, coupled with the facility, will allow the university to expand recycling collection in 549 buildings on campus. The MSU Office of Recycling reports that 14 percent of the white and mixed office paper, newspaper, cardboard and plastics are diverted from trash landfills in Lansing through the current recycling program. The capture rate of these five key materials is projected to double by 2010.
UC Santa Barbara Recreation Center Receives LEED-EB Silver
University of California, Santa Barbara's Recreation Center has received LEED for Existing Buildings Silver certification. To achieve the certification, recycling was increased by 70%, trash was reduced by 55%, and electrical usage, natural gas and water consumption were reduced substantially, all without reducing the operational capabilities of the Recreation Center or affecting its mission of providing recreational opportunities to UCSB's faculty, staff, and students. Additionally, the Recreation Center will be installing a 133 kWh photovoltaic array on its Multi-Activity Center (MAC) roof this summer, and, in early 2009, UCBS plans to install solar thermal water heaters to provide pre-heated water for its 1.8 million gallon pool, which, in tandem with the newly installed thermally efficient pool covers, will reduce natural gas usage by 80% and save $160,000 each year. The pool is heated to a year-round 81 degrees and currently relies exclusively on natural gas.
U Waterloo Breaks Ground on Green Building
The University of Waterloo (ON) recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new $55 million Engineering V building. The six-storey building will feature glass walls, a designated green roof area, and native landscaping. Engineering V, the first of a two-phase building, will house a student design centre on its first two levels. The centre will showcase award-winning student engineering projects, such as the solar and hydrogen fuel cell cars.
Warren Wilson College Residence Hall Receives LEED Gold
Warren Wilson College's (NC) Village South residence hall has received LEED Gold certification. Designed and built with input from students, the apartment-style dormitory features energy conservation, water conservation, and waste minimization measures. Warren Wilson expects the adjacent Village North dorm to achieve LEED Gold certification as well.
Pacific Lutheran U Building Receives LEED Silver
The Pacific Lutheran University (WA) University Center has been awarded LEED Silver certification. The new student center features Energy Star appliances; a lighting system with an internal, perpetual calendar that controls what lights turn on and off based on the rising and setting of the sun; concrete flooring that requires no chemical cleaning products or waxes; low-flow toilet and faucet fixtures that save water; and wood flooring certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. In addition, nearly 95 percent of the construction waste was recycled. The University Center is also powered entirely by renewable energy through a two-year commitment by PLU to purchase wind energy from two local power companies.
2 Tennessee Campuses Receive Env'l Stewardship Awards
Cleveland State Community College (TN) and Vanderbilt University (TN) were recently awarded 2008 Governors Environmental Stewardship Awards. CSCC won in the Excellence in Energy Leadership category for its existing construction technology program which was enhanced to include a focus on alternative and renewable energy sources and the techniques and technologies for energy efficient construction. Vanderbilt won the Excellence in Green Schools – Higher Education category for the Commons Project which consists of five newly constructed residence houses, five renovated residence houses, and the Commons Center on Vanderbilt's Peabody campus. The LEED certification of the new and renovated buildings, the attractive and energy-saving building features, the waste reduction and recycling programs, the use of alternative fuels, the selection of recycled and renewable materials, and educational demonstrations for each of these items helped Vanderbilt to win this year's award.
3 Pitzer College Residence Halls Receive LEED Gold
Three new Pitzer College (CA) residence halls have received LEED Gold certification. The certification is, in part, a result of the active participation and planning completed by Pitzer students, faculty, alumni, and staff.
Rider University Clears Trees with Plow Horses
Rider University (NJ) recently hired a company to clear four acres of felled trees using plow horses instead of bulldozers in an effort to keep a residence hall construction project more environmentally friendly. CitiLog, the company hired to clear the trees, plans to reuse the wood once the project is complete.
Appalachian State U Library Recognized for Green Design
The Appalachian State University (NC) Carol Grotnes Belk Library and Information Commons was recently recognized for its green architectural design in the April 2008 issue of American Libraries and in the December 2007 issue of Library Journal. Green features of the building include an emphasis on natural lighting, mechanical equipment for energy savings, cork flooring, an energy-efficient elevator system, electronic sensor faucets and toilets, computer-controlled shades and recycled/recyclable carpeting. The Belk Library opened in 2005.
Butler U Breaks Ground on Green Pharmacy Building Expansion
Butler University (IN) recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new addition to the pharmacy and health sciences building. Butler hopes to achieve LEED Silver certification for the expansion, which will feature waterless urinals, bicycle storage, and natural classroom lighting. The University also plans to recycle the construction waste material and install recycled carpet and flooring throughout the addition.
U Oregon Children's Center Receives Energy Efficiency Award
The University of Oregon's Moss Street Children's Center was recently awarded an Oregon State Energy Efficient Design Award (SEED) from the Oregon Department of Energy. The Center operates at 32 percent better than code and features passive cooling and night flush, south facing glazing for passive solar gain, radiant floor heating and cooling, and hybrid ground source heat pumps. The SEED program requires the Oregon Department of Energy to review all new state buildings and major renovations to ensure that they incorporate all cost-effective energy measures and make the building at least 20 percent more energy efficient than code.
Arizona State U Sustainability Institute Moves to Green Building
The Global Institute of Sustainability and the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University recently moved into a newly renovated green building. The building's carpet, resilient flooring, and gypsum sheathing are all made of high recycled content material, and the indoor air quality is enhanced through the use of GreenGuard certified furniture and low-emitting paints, coatings, and interior signage. The building also features waterless urinals, low-flow toilets, and automatically monitored landscaping irrigation. As landscaping work continues, native drought-tolerant plantings will reduce the demand for irrigation and the incorporation of porous paving will control the amount of storm water run-off from the site. Additionally, wind turbines have been mounted on the roof and solar panels will be installed soon. ASU is pursing LEED certification for the building.
Emory U Residence Hall Awarded LEED Silver
The Emory University (GA) Turman Residence Hall, which opened to freshman last August, recently received LEED Silver accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council. Turman is the first in a series of halls that will comprise Emory’s freshman housing complex. The second phase of the complex, Freshman 2 and 3, is currently under construction and is aiming to achieve LEED Gold certification.
UC Berkeley Building Awarded LEED Silver
University of California, Berkeley's Haste Street Child Development Center was recently awarded LEED Silver certification. Green features include formaldehyde-free furniture, fabric carpets that don't off-gas harmful chemicals, and the use of green cleaning products. Additionally, ninety-eight percent of the waste materials left over from construction were diverted from landfills and recycled, and twenty percent of the center's materials came from within 500 miles of the site.
U New England Breaks Ground for Green Pharmacy Building
The University of New England (ME) recently broke ground for its new College of Pharmacy, an academic and research facility registered for LEED certification. Green features include highly efficient plumbing systems, appropriate landscaping, and chilled beams and heat recovery units that will optimize energy performance. Additionally, all construction waste will be recycled, reused, or otherwise diverted from landfills; building materials will have a high recycled content and be locally sourced; and building finishes will be low or no VOC and contain no urea formaldehyde.
