The new 32-story Wabash building will do more than house future Roosevelt students and classes; it will also carry the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design stamp of approval.
Achieving LEED Silver certification for the new $110 million structure is a major goal of the project, which is on track to be completed in March 2012.
By recently signing the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact, University officials also are hoping the construction and operation of the Wabash building will reflect Roosevelt's commitment to environmental sustainability.
The ICSC, which encourages colleges and universities to incorporate sustainability into their operations and curriculum, is one of many recent efforts by the University to embrace the "green" trend.
Steve Hoselton, associate vice president of Campus Planning and Operations, said the decision to use green building practices in the new building is a reflection of a campus-wide effort to do right by the environment.
"The decision to go green [for this project] was very easy," Hoselton said. "First of all, it's the right thing to do, and Roosevelt wanted to be environmentally conscious; we have signed several agreements to be that way."
The process for achieving LEED certification through the U.S. Green Building Council depends on the type of structure being built and whether or not it is a new or existing building.
There are four levels of certification that can be achieved: certified, silver, gold and platinum.
To achieve a Silver certification, the Wabash building must achieve 33-38 points out of a 69-point scale. The point scale for New Building and Major Renovations offers six categories in which to earn points.
These include: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, indoor environmental quality and an innovation and design category.
In addition to the point system, a number of prerequisites in each of the construction categories must be met before any project can be considered for LEED certification.
"All of our LEED rating systems are similar in the way that they all have prerequisites that are required to achieve any sort of LEED certification," said Katie Kaluzny, associate director of the Illinois chapter of the USBGC. "None of the points matter if you can't meet the prerequisites."
In the category concerning sustainable sites, for instance, certain steps must be taken to ensure the project adheres to the Environmental Protection Agency's Construction General Permit, which seeks to prevent pollution in the air and storm water during construction. Points cannot be earned for prerequisites, but they are still mandatory.
So far, University officials have outlined a number of plans to earn the required minimum of 33 points. According to the project checklist, the building has made steps to achieve 37 points with an additional 11 points still up in the air.
Since 39 points would have given the building a Gold certification, Assistant Vice President of Campus Planning and Operations Paul Matthews admits the university had considered achieving a higher certification.
"We've had this discussion about trying to achieve Gold," said Matthews. "The problem is that achieving those individual points, especially as you get closer to Gold, can cost a significant amount."
Matthews said the university was satisfied with a Silver certification after weighing out the costs and benefits of the project, especially since LEED Silver certification means that the building is expected to have significant energy savings over a non-certified building, which can equate to significant cost reductions in basic operations.
Projections have the Wabash building saving 20 percent in heating and cooling efficiency over a non-certified building. According to Hoselton, this is an annual savings of $120,000 in this area alone.
"In order to get LEED Silver, you have to save 20 percent in heating and cooling over a non-certified building," Hoselton said. "When you're talking about natural gas and electrical bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and you start taking 20 percent off of that, you're saving significant dollars."
A number of smaller design features will also impact the environmental sustainability of the building. The instillation of 8,000 square feet of plants on the roof of the building will assist in heat reduction, insulation and reducing the amount of water runoff.
Pulpers will allow food waste to be converted into compost material. This process removes that waste from University dumpsters, which cost upwards of $400 to be emptied, and keeps it from going into landfills.
The future construction of a field house for the athletics program will also set a goal of LEED Silver, according to Matthews. A date has not yet been set for construction to begin on that project.
Photo by Alex V. Hernandez:
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The Wabash building will be 20 percent more efficient in heating and cooling over a non-certified building. |
