Kennesaw State U Opens Green Dining Hall
Kennesaw State University (GA) has opened The Commons — Student Culinary Center, a new dining hall on campus. The two-story, 53,466-square-foot facility features student-designed artwork, floor-to-ceiling windows, and an on-site herb and vegetable garden filled with fresh basil, rosemary, and bell peppers. The Commons features the use of LED lighting, composting of food waste, use of “trayless” service to reduce water usage and food waste, use of compostable paper goods and the elimination of all Styrofoam products. In addition, the dining hall’s kitchen is equipped with Energy Star appliances and each food venue is independent of one another and can be turned off to reduce energy consumption. The University is seeking LEED certification for the structure.
Michigan State U Opens Recycling Center
Michigan State University has opened its new Surplus Store and Recycling Center. The $13 million facility will accommodate three times the amount of materials as the former MSU recycling facility. A comprehensive recycling program, coupled with the facility, will allow the University to expand recycling collection in 553 buildings on campus. The five target materials are white paper, mixed office paper, newspaper, cardboard, and plastics. The 74,000-square-foot Center, which is registered for LEED Silver certification, features rainwater collection tanks, rooftop solar array panels that produce 10 percent of the electricity for the building, broad use of daylighting, and low-flow fixtures in restrooms.
Smith College Opens Green Engineering & Sciences Building
Smith College (MA) has opened Ford Hall, its new Engineering and Molecular Sciences Building on campus. The 140,000-square-foot structure features LED lighting, maximum daylight exposure, photovoltaic solar cells, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
Leeds Metropolitan U Headingley Opens Green Dorm
Leeds Metropolitan University, Headingley (United Kingdom) has opened a new green dorm with 479 bedrooms. The building was designed to include solar thermal panels, recycled materials in construction, and harvested rainwater for use in the toilets.
Monroe CC Building Receives LEED Silver
Monroe Community College’s (NY) Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk Center for Excellence in Nursing structure has received LEED Silver certification. The building includes low-flow plumbing, a highly reflective roof, and a building envelope that optimizes energy performance. The 22,000-square-foot facility also contains at least 20 percent overall recycled content that has been manufactured, harvested, and/or recovered within 500 miles of the College.
Renovated Hotel Opens for Student Housing in Michigan
Riverfront Residence Hall, a 340,000-square-foot structure that was formerly a hotel in Flint, MI, has opened to provide housing for students attending the University of Michigan, Flint; Mott Community College; and Baker College. The first phase of the $20 million renovation will provide housing for 250 students. The second phase, which is expected to be complete in 2010, will open space for 550 students on the top eight floors. The building originally opened in 1981 as the Hyatt Regency Hotel and was operating as the Riverfront Character Inn when it was bought by Uptown Reinvestment Corp.
Saint John's U to Open Green Building
Saint John's University (MN) has announced plans to open the McKeown Center, the community center for the lower campus of SJU. Designed to meet LEED Silver standards, the McKeown Center features a rain garden; pervious sidewalk pavers; local materials; energy efficient lighting, heating, and air conditioning systems; and plumbing fixtures that will help reduce water consumption.
Syracuse U Opens Green Residence Hall
Syracuse University (NY) has opened Ernie Davis Hall, a residential and dining facility that is registered for LEED Silver certification. The structure includes low-flow faucets and showerheads, efficient lighting, and a stormwater management system.
U Evansville University Center Awarded LEED Certification
The University of Evansville's (IN) Ridgway University Center has received LEED certification. The 92,000-square-foot structure, which opened in November 2008, features a stormwater management system, lighting controls, and use of renewable resources such as bamboo and recycled rubber.
Washington U St. Louis Opens 2 Green Residence Halls
Washington University in St. Louis (MO) has opened South 40 House and Umrath House, two new residence halls that were designed to meet LEED Silver standards. All equipment in South 40 House dining facilities, including stoves, hoods, and refrigerators, has an Energy Star label, and food waste will be sent to a pulper, which is similar to a composter. Umrath Hall will house 99 first-year students and three resident advisors (Ras). Three Ras and 126 students will live in South 40 House.
Arizona State U Opens Green Honors College
Arizona State University has opened a seven-building honors college campus. The Barrett campus, which welcomed 1,700 students, features a dining hall that will offer organic foods; laundry facilities with Web-based monitoring to let students know when their washer or dryer shuts off; and three floors for 250 students in a Sustainability House community, with low-consumption plumbing fixtures, energy monitoring for individual rooms, recycled gray water, a green roof, and an organic garden.
Illinois Wesleyan U Welcome Center Earns LEED Silver
Illinois Wesleyan University's Minor Myers, Jr. Welcome Center, which houses the Admissions Office and the Career Center, has received LEED Silver certification. Green features include geothermal heating and cooling units, insulated glass windows that reflect heat, and a traction elevator.
Michigan State U Chemistry Building Addition Receives LEED Silver
An addition to Michigan State University's Chemistry Building has received LEED Silver certification. The addition was part of an $18 million project that also included laboratory renovations. Environmentally friendly features of the new structure include recycled green glass in the flooring, low flow fixtures in restrooms, demand ventilation, drip irrigation, recycling stations in the hall, and motion sensors for classroom lights.
Montserrat College, Mesa State College Open Green Res Halls
Montserrat College of Art (MA) and Mesa State College (CO) have each opened an environmentally-friendly residence complex. Montserrat opened the Helena J. Sturnick Village, a quad of four residence halls. The $7 million complex, which is registered for LEED certification, contains energy-efficient light bulbs, light sensors, heating and cooling sensors, extra insulation, and a green roof. Mesa State opened the North Avenue Student Housing complex, a $21.3 million structure that consists of three connected buildings and contains 304 beds. The 93,524 square-foot complex, which was designed to meet LEED Silver standards, contains a ground source heat exchange system, solar panels, high performance windows and insulation, and lighting controls.
Rice U Opens 2 Green Dormitories
Rice University (TX) has opened McMurtry College and Duncan College, two green residence halls on campus. The 125,700-square-foot dormitories, with 324 beds each, feature smart air conditioning systems that learn the students' comfort level, open-window and infrared sensors that put the air conditioning unit in setback mode, and green roofs. Duncan College is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification, and McMurtry College is expected to receive LEED Silver.
U Akron Wayne College Opens Green Mixed-Use Building
The University of Akron Wayne College (OH) has opened its Student Life Building, a renovated campus structure that houses classrooms, offices, conference rooms, computer labs, and testing centers. The facility features daylighting, motion activated lights, and glass that clouds over when rooms are unoccupied.
U South Carolina Opens Green Residence Hall
The University of South Carolina has opened a new, $47.6 million environmentally-friendly dormitory. The 537-bed facility, which is expected to receive LEED Gold certification, contains construction materials that were purchased from within a 500-mile radius. The 191,000-square-foot residence hall is expected to use 38 percent less water and 30 percent less energy than similarly sized structures. In addition, wood construction scraps were converted into mulch and approximately 85 percent of the demolition materials were recycled.
James Madison U Opens Green Dining Hall
James Madison University (VA) has opened its new 700-seat East Campus Dining Hall. Green features of the new structure include its location close to bus stops and bike racks, a white membrane that covers 97 percent of the roof and reflects sunlight, water-efficient plumbing, daylighting, and the use of recycled and regionally manufactured building materials. The Dining Hall is registered for LEED certification.
Rice U Children's Campus Receives LEED Silver
Rice University's (TX) Children's Campus, the institution's early learning facility for children of Rice faculty, staff, and students, has received LEED Silver certification. The 9,750-square-foot building includes light sensors, programmable thermostats, a self-monitoring mechanical system, double-paned windows, dual-flush toilets, and faucet aerators. In addition, more than 90 percent of occupied spaces in the building have access to natural daylight and views to the outdoors.
Texas Christian U Renovation Receives LEED Gold
Texas Christian University's renovation of Sherley Hall has received LEED Gold certification. The 76,403-square-foot structure, which features 162 double-occupancy sleeping rooms, is the first building on campus to achieve LEED certification. The renovation reduced energy consumption from interior lighting by 41 percent, from exterior lighting by 53 percent, and from cooling by an estimated 40 percent. Water usage decreased by 37 percent.
Walsh College Receives Green Building of America Award
Walsh College's (MI) Jeffery W. Barry Center has received a Green Building of America Award. The Center will be featured in the Real Estate & Construction Review-Midwest Green Success Stories special edition. The 37,000-square-foot Barry Center incorporates recycled and eco-friendly materials and captures and recycles rain water.
Swarthmore College Receives Green Building Award
The design for the Wister Education Center and Greenhouse for the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College (PA) has been selected as a Green Building of America award-winning project. The Wister center was selected from more than 2,500 nominated projects and will be spotlighted in a special Real Estate & Construction Review-Northeast Green Success Stories edition in 2010. The 5,200-square-foot building with a $3.8 million budget is under construction and is expected to be finished in late September.
U California Santa Barbara Building Receives LEED 'Double Platinum'
The University of California, Santa Barbara's Bren Hall, which houses the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, has become the nation's first building to earn two LEED Platinum certifications. The structure has received LEED Platinum certification for Existing Buildings – Operations and Maintenance. Bren Hall received LEED Platinum for New Construction in 2002. Certification for existing buildings (LEED EB) is based on operations and maintenance, occupant health, and financial return of the initial investment in sustainability technology and strategies, so it serves to test the commitment to sustainable operation demonstrated by a building's occupants. New construction (LEED NC) certification includes credits for many elements that are part of erecting a new building, such as location, materials used, and management of construction-related waste, as well as credits for resource efficiency and operational elements.
Bowdoin College Ice Arena Receives LEED Certification
The Sidney J. Watson Arena at Bowdoin College (ME) has become the first US ice area to receive LEED certification. The $20 million ice arena, which opened in January, uses 17 percent less energy than a comparable facility and contains energy efficient refrigeration and dehumidification systems. The structure, which offers a 90-by-200 square-foot ice surface and seating for 1,900 spectators, also features a storm water management system; low-flow showers, faucets, toilets, and urinals; local building materials; and low VOC adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, and carpeting.
U Washington Theater Receives LEED Gold
The University of Washington Drama Department has received LEED Gold certification for its Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse Theater. The Theater, which seats over 200 people, features natural ventilation; hydronic floor heating; an under-floor air displacement system; water conservation technologies; low VOC paints, sealants, carpets, and theater scenery; recycling of construction waste; and use of regional materials.
Clemson U Dedicates Green Building
Clemson University (SC) has dedicated the Harris A. Smith Building, a structure that houses the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics. The 28,000-square-foot building features natural daylighting, locally sourced materials, concrete floors with a 20 percent fly ash content, and a metal sunscreen that mitigates the sun's exposure on the building's southwest corner glass wall. Clemson is seeking LEED Gold certification for the structure.
St. Petersburg College Building Awarded LEED Gold Certification
St. Petersburg College (FL) has received LEED Gold certification for its Natural Science, Mathematics, and College of Education building. The structure, which opened in January 2009, includes reflective roofing and paving materials, fourteen preferred parking spaces for fuel-efficient vehicles and carpools, and bicycle storage and shower/changing facilities. The College has also committed to using only green cleaning products in the new building.
U Southern California Campus Building Earns Green Award
The University of Southern California's Ronald Tutor Campus Center has received a Green Building of America Award and a spot in the "green success stories" edition of the upcoming Southwest Real Estate & Construction Review . The Campus Center, which is registered for LEED Silver certification and is not yet open, incorporates radiant heating in the outdoor plaza, bamboo wood, trash compactors that separate out biodegradables, and lighting with motion sensors and long-life bulbs. The building also contains low-flow plumbing and an underground retention basin to capture rainfall.
Washington U in St. Louis Apartments Certified LEED Silver
Washington University in St. Louis' (MO) Village East student apartment building has received LEED Silver certification. The Village East, which opened in August 2008, contains 152 beds in four-bedroom apartments for upper-class students. The structure features natural daylighting; materials with recycled content; low-emitting paints, carpets, and composite wood; and stormwater management, including an on-site rain garden.
2 U Arkansas Buildings Receive Green Globes Recognition
The Duncan Avenue Apartments and the Duncan Avenue Community Center at the University of Arkansas have achieved Green Globes designations for sustainable design and construction. The three-story apartment building was noted for having water-efficient equipment, high indoor air quality, effective lighting, thermal comfort, and suitable acoustic conditions. The Community Center, which received 2 Green Globes, was recognized for energy-efficient lighting fixtures and lamps and the improvement of storm-water runoff. Both buildings opened in fall 2008.
Army Logistics U Opens with Green Building
The Army Logistics University and Simulation Training Center (VA) has officially opened with a new green building. Approximately 83 percent of the construction waste for the 348,511-square-foot structure was recycled and the building was designed to meet LEED Silver standards.
Utah State U Wetland Discovery Point Receives LEED Platinum
Utah State University's Wetland Discovery Point, a space that is used to teach about the importance of conservation and wetland ecosystems, has received LEED Platinum certification. The roof of the new structure functions as both a rainwater collector and a tool to provide shade or allow winter sunlight into the building. Harvested precipitation is stored in a cistern and used to irrigate part of the landscape and to flush low-flow toilets. Much of the power used in the building will be solar-generated, and solar-heated water flows through the building’s heating system.
Wake Technical CC Wins Green Building Award
Wake Technical Community College (NC) has received a 2009 “Green Building of America” Award from Construction Communications. Building D, on Wake Tech’s Northern Wake Campus, was chosen for the award from more than 2,500 entries. The building will be featured in a special edition of Real Estate & Construction Review , a publication for policy makers and leaders in finance and economic development. At just under 75,000 square-feet, the building features occupancy sensors and daylight harvesting - a system that detects the amount of light coming in from outside and automatically dims the inside lights accordingly to save energy. The structure also has a white roof to reflect the sun; sun-blocking louvers and roof overhang on the south side of the building; and high-efficiency condensing boilers, fan, and pump motors.
Pacific U Dorm Receives LEED Gold
Pacific University's (OR) Gilbert Hall has received LEED Gold certification. The building, a residence hall, was cited for water efficiency, energy saving systems, providing areas for recycling materials, diverting construction waste from landfills, and indoor environmental quality.
Richland College Opens Green Campus Building
Richland College (TX) has opened its Garland Campus, which was designed to meet LEED Gold criteria. The building features easy access to public transportation, a single-slope roof that harvests rainwater in underground storage tanks to be used for irrigation, motion-sensor faucets and dual-flush toilets, and low VOC construction materials.
Arizona State U Wins Green Design Awards Competition
Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability has been announced the winner of the Educational Category in Environmental Design + Construction magazine's Excellence in Design Awards competition. Finalists included the Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University (CT), a student housing complex at Reed College (OR), the Danforth University Center at Washington University (MO), and a student housing complex at Vanderbilt University (TN). Honorable Mentions include Stuart and James halls, part of Dickinson College's (PA) new Rector Science Complex, and Dartmouth College's (NH) Floren Varsity House and Memorial Stadium Renovation. The awards recognize commercial, government, institutional and educational projects as well as single-family residences that demonstrate a clear commitment to green building and sustainable design.
Brandeis U Completes Phase 1 of Green Science Center
Brandeis University (RI) has completed Phase One of its 175,000-square-foot Carl J. Shapiro Science Center. The structure is built to LEED Silver certification standards and features recycled content materials, low VOC paints, urea-formaldehyde free wood products, a green roof, and a light harvesting system.
Saint Xavier U Wins U.S. Green Building Award
Saint Xavier University (IL) has received the 2009 "SMALL feet/large FEAT – Excellence in Organizational Change" award from the U.S. Green Building Council. The annual award recognizes organizations that have made changes to reduce their environmental footprint.
U Oregon Opens Eco-Friendly Education Building
The University of Oregon has opened its new 67,000-square-foot HEDCO Education Building. The $50.5 million project includes natural daylighting, solar hot water, and landscaping that channels rainwater through gardens and bioswales. The structure is 30 percent more efficient than state code requirements.
Wilson College Opens Green Science Complex
Wilson College (PA) has dedicated the Harry R. Brooks Complex for Science, Mathematics, and Technology. The new $25 million building has been built to achieve LEED certification and features daylighting in perimeter offices, high-efficiency condensing boilers, and solar water heating. The 51,500-square-foot renovation and 25,000 square-feet of new space also features dual-flush toilets, waterless urinals, ultra-low faucet aerators, and low VOC adhesives, finishes, and carpet systems.
AP Covers New Trend of Campuses Leasing Condos for Student Dorms
The Associated Press has published an article on a new college and university trend to lease empty condominium complexes and use them for student housing. The story mentions projects at Johnson and Wales University's (RI), Columbia University (NY), and Capital University (OH).
Boston U Student Center Earns LEED Silver Certification
Boston University's (MA) Makechnie Study Center has received LEED Silver certification. The 3,000-square-foot structure features bamboo walls, cork flooring, low VOC paint and carpet, and energy-efficiency lighting systems and electronics. The new center was made of nearly 14 percent recycled material and contains more than 90 percent Energy Star-rated computers, printers, and copiers.
Cooley Law School Opens Green Addition
The Thomas M. Cooley Law School (MI) has announced the opening of a 65,000-square-foot addition, doubling the size of its Auburn Hills facilities. The structure, which is registered for LEED certification, includes a green roof, an enhanced heating and cooling system, and the use of many renewable and recyclable materials.
Kresge Announces Green Building Standards for Higher Ed Grants
The Kresge Foundation has announced that it is raising the bar on green building requirements for challenge grants awarded to applicants in the higher-education sector. Effective June 2010, the foundation will only consider proposals for facilities-capital grants from colleges and universities that plan to use the funding for building projects – new construction, renovations, and expansions – that meet the Silver or higher level certification standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program or an equivalent rating agency.
Ohio U Announces Commitment to Green Building
Ohio University has announced a new policy that requires all new construction and renovation projects to seek to meet or exceed LEED Silver certification. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis as to what level of certification is appropriate to a particular project.
Washington U Opens Building Designed to Meet Living Building Challenge
Washington University in St. Louis (MO) has opened its new Living Learning Center. Located on 2,000 acres of woods, prairie, ponds, and savannahs, the 2,900-square-foot facility is built to meet the Living Building Challenge, a program by the Cascadia Region Green Building Council that contains 16 green building requirements. The center is designed to be a zero-net energy and zero wastewater building and will capture rainwater and purify it for drinking. The facility also features porous paving that will absorb almost all storm runoff, a composting toilet, a 3,000 gallon underground cistern, and a 17-kW photovoltaic system that will power the building.
Western Michigan U Health Building Receives LEED-EB Gold
Western Michigan University's College of Health and Human Services building had received LEED-EB Gold certification. The structure is the first higher education building in the US to receive higher than a LEED-EB Silver award. The 200,000-square-foot building was completed in the summer 2005 and includes cork flooring, motion-activated lights, and rice paper between sheets of glass that provides translucent windows along hallways.
Wheelock College Dedicates Green Campus Ctr & Residence Hall
Wheelock College (MA) has dedicated its new Campus Center and Students Residence Hall. The 58,000-square-foot facility, which provides housing for 108 students, features a green roof and light-absorbing windows and is registered for LEED certification.
