Phase 1 of construction on Building 21 is complete and represents the most progressive and sustainable building on campus to date.
The goal is to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold certification. LEED is a system of design and construction standards and practices for buildings developed by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) designed to promote and classify “green” buildings. To achieve LEED certification, a set of prerequisites must first be satisfied for the project, then a points scoring system is applied for additional sustainable practices and design elements that are incorporated into the project. The number of points a project scores determines the level of certification the building achieves (Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum).
Numerous steps were taken to help to achieve the LEED gold certification on this project. While they all can’t be listed here, some of the interesting ones are described below.
Great efforts were made to avoid additional pollutants and waste during the construction phase. The construction crew restored 20% of the habitat around the pond. The landscaping around Building 21 is H2O efficient, no irrigation is required, and is drought tolerant. They also utilized a SWPPP (Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan) to minimize contaminate runoff and prevent it from entering the local ecosystem. This includes a bioswale that diverts the dirty water coming from the roof and parking lots into a natural filtration system. It filters the water before putting it back into the pond. There are three of these natural filtration systems around the building. A waste management plan was utilized throughout the project to minimize construction waste diverted to landfills. Waste was delivered, via dumpster, to a sorting facility where it was separated and any recyclable materials were recaptured. The objective is to recycle 85% of the waste materials generated by the project. To minimize light pollution, LED cutoff light fixtures are utilized around the outside of the building and parking lot.
In addition, there are many features designed to ensure the building is as energy efficient as possible. Here are some of the energy saving features incorporated into the project:
A commissioning agent was utilized to ensure the building was built in accordance with the design. The commissioning agent’s job is to ensure all of the electrical and mechanical equipment in the building is operating correctly. Improperly functioning equipment often leads to a building wasting energy and leaving occupants uncomfortable.
The building was constructed with a reflective roof. This reflective material rejects a large portion of the sun’s radiation, thus reducing cooling costs in the summer.
LED task lighting was utilized in conjunction with multi-level office lighting and daylight controls. These systems work together to reduce lighting levels or turn off lights completely in areas when occupants are out of the room, or when ambient light levels are already sufficient.
A unique building “envelope” was utilized. Envelope refers to the portion of the building that separates the warm air inside from the cold air outside (or vice versa during the summer months). In a traditional building, the building’s structural components (steel beams mostly) are built as part of the envelope. In this building, the structure was brought inside the envelope so that outside temperatures would not be conducted through the structure and increase the energy required to heat or cool the building. This design, along with increased insulation levels and strong emphasis placed on air sealing during construction, results in a very air tight and well-insulated building.
These may seem like very simple changes, but they all contribute to a building that operates very efficiently and contributes to lower operating costs to the college over its lifetime.
Other aspects of the project were designed to reduce overall environmental impact both inside the building and out. Here are a few examples:
Materials were sourced to come from within 500 miles. This aided in providing jobs to people in our area, lowered transportation costs, and reduced the distance for those items to travel, thus reducing our carbon footprint.
The wood used for the framing and the doors required were purchased from a renewable wood vendor, meaning that whatever they cut down to sell, they must equally plant and replenish.
Special parking spots are provided for low emitting and high efficiency vehicles. There are four spaces for low emission vehicles and four spaces for carpoolers.
The kitchenette finishes are low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and the building has gone through a 14 day flush out during which 100% fresh air from the outside moves into flush out all the VOCs prior to occupancy.
Many more point earning and energy-saving efforts went into the concept, design, and completion of this amazing building.
Helen Post and Travis Sleight
MCC Sustainability Steering Committee
04/08/2015
Attachments:
 Bldg 21.jpg
|