AUSTIN, Texas—The recently completed $28 million Menchaca Elementary School for the Austin Independent School District is a design-build project that has replaced an existing campus in a growing area of south Austin.

The 98,600-square-foot campus was originally conceived as a single building with interior circulation, but the design evolved through an extensive process that engaged teachers, parents and students. LPA Inc. was the architect on this impressive project. Joeris General Contractors was the general contractor.

The design features a collection of three buildings with shaded outdoor collaboration spaces designed around the existing heritage oak trees. The buildings form two courtyards linked by a second-story bridge that houses an innovative library media center and makerspaces specifically designed for the school. More than 30 percent of the site is open, vegetated space, creating direct links between the outdoors and learning environments.

With a build-out capacity of 870 students—this will account for the growth of this diverse city and the evolution of the District’s Strategic Plan. The entire process went from programming to permitting in six months.

Sustainability and energy efficiency were incorporated into every aspect of the design. Indoor water usage was cut by 30 percent and the overall energy use was reduced by 20 percent, primarily through passive measures such as building orientation, shading and strategic use of natural light. The campus is designed to meet LEED Silver certification, including a commitment to air quality and overall wellness for the students and faculty.

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ATLANTA — The Emory University Hospital Tower has been awarded LEED Silver certification (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the first Emory Healthcare building to be LEED certified at Emory.

Known as the most widely used green building rating system in the world, LEED provides the framework to create healthy, highly-efficient and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of achievement of sustainability.

The $400 million, 450,000-square-foot Emory University Hospital Tower, located at 1364 Clifton Road across from the current hospital, opened for patient care in the summer of 2017. The building meets high standards for air quality, energy efficiency and for using locally sourced materials. Its sustainable, inspirational and collaborative environment promotes healthy lifestyles, learning and community.

“Achieving LEED Silver certification is a testament to the hard work and dedication by our planning, design, architectural and construction teams in supporting sustainability,” says Bryce Gartland, MD, CEO of Emory University Hospital and Hospital Group President for Emory Healthcare. “This building saves on energy, water, and other resources while supporting human health, which creates a positive environment for all of those who work and receive care in this space.”

Buildings pursuing LEED certification earn points across several categories such as location and transportation, water efficiency, sustainability, materials and resources, energy and atmosphere, indoor environmental quality, innovation and more. Based on the number of points achieved, a project then earns one of four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.

Key elements in the design and construction of the Emory University Hospital Tower include the following sustainable features:

• Project site located in close proximity to basic services such as restaurants, stores and public transit to encourage building occupants to walk instead of drive
• Low-flow indoor water fixtures reduce water consumption by an estimated 20 percent
• Energy-efficient exterior glazing systems allow for daylight to reach core areas throughout the building
• Materials used contain recycled and regionally manufactured content
• Energy-efficient features that allow for more than 20 percent energy savings
• Over 95 percent of construction waste recycled
• Special focus on indoor environmental quality for improving occupant health and well-being of employees
• Lead- and mercury-free facility
• Recycling program implemented

Since the recycling program began at the Emory University Hospital Tower, an average of nearly 30,000 pounds of cardboard and white paper are being recycled each month. The hospital’s Environmental Services team is responsible for collecting the recyclable material and taking it to a designated bin for pick-up.

“LEED Silver certification places Emory Healthcare and the Emory University Hospital Tower in a category above many others when it comes to design and building construction for hospitals,” said David Pugh, vice president for facility and space design for Emory Healthcare. “We are excited to receive this recognition and know it signifies Emory Healthcare’s commitment to green building design now and in the future.”

With a strong focus on sustainability, Emory University now has 34 LEED certified buildings that equal more than 4 million square feet. These buildings include: Candler Library, Candler School of Theology Phase I and Phase II, Claudia Nance Rollins Building, Emory Conference Center Addition, Health Sciences Research building, and James B. Williams Medical Education building.

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BOCA RATON, Fla. ­— Lynn University’s loft-style campus apartments recently achieved LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Lynn University’s Mary and Harold Perper Residence Hall recently received LEED Silver certification for its accomplishments in energy consumption, water efficiency, and other green initiatives. Lynn University’s student body included 2,232 undergrads, 791 graduate and 70 doctoral students as of fall 2018. The 60,000-square-foot development is part of Lynn University’s campus masterplan.

Designed by Gensler, the residence hall opened in August 2017 and includes loft-style apartments for 170 upperclassmen students, as well as a courtyard, two patios, a fire pit and grills. A community space has a TV lounge, collaboration room and full kitchen where students can relax, study and socialize together.

USGBC awards certifications based on points applicants earn across several categories. Perper Residence Hall earned LEED Silver for:

• Water efficiency: The campus taps into an IRIS Loop, a non-potable water source, which allows it to use reclaimed (recycled) water for the irrigation system. Additionally, water-efficient faucets, toilets and showerheads utilize 40.34 percent less water than similar buildings.
• Sustainable site: Forty-four percent of the site is dedicated to vegetated open space, an exemplary accomplishment, according to LEED rating systems. It is also made up of drought-tolerant native plants, including sabal palms, a thatch palm and a live oak tree in the courtyard.
• Energy and atmosphere: The building uses 33.77 percent less energy than a code-compliant baseline.
• Indoor environmental quality: Low-emitting paints, adhesives and flooring products provide enhanced indoor air quality. All installed carpet is certified by the CRI Green Label Plus program. Additionally, over 90 percent of indoor spaces have a nature view.
• Materials and resources: Over 20 percent of project materials are composed of recycled content, and over 75 percent of construction waste was recycled. In addition, more than 50 percent of the structure’s wood was harvested from a responsibly managed forest.

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DENVER — The University of Denver (DU) held a groundbreaking ceremony on March 26, beginning the construction on a residence hall designed to house 500 first-year students.

The 130,000-square-foot, five-story building is anticipated to cost $55.5 million and scheduled to open in fall 2020.

According to the university’s website, a key principle of the design is the notion of nested scales of community, focused on the notion of developing a sense of belonging among our students.

The design fosters community with pods of approximately 24 students, a “tree canopy” programming space for a hall of 500 students, and an embracing outdoor gathering space for the entire first year entering class of 1500 students.

This allows co-curricular initiatives to thrive and for meaningful interactions, dialogues, and relationships to be fostered between DU students.

The building is targeting LEED Silver Certification under LEED V4, projected to achieve 27 percent summer peak energy savings over code minimum.

Key sustainability strategies include a stand-alone highly efficient heating/cooling plant, a system of 4-pipe fan coil units for room conditioning and a rooftop photovoltaic panel array for energy production.

The residence hall will also include space for some campus programs alongside the residential units.

The residence hall will be named the Dimond Family Residential Village, following a $5 million gift to the university from the Dimond Family Foundation, the vehicle for the philanthropy of Navin and Rita Dimond, as well as their two daughters. Navin Dimond is the president and CEO of Denver-based hotelier Stonebridge Cos., which he founded in 1991, as reported by the BusinessDen.

The University of Denver requires first- and second-year students to live on campus, but the college stated in a press release that it is seeing higher demand for on-campus housing from upper-level students, and that the new freshmen dorm will create more openings for those students.

Saunders Construction is the general contractor on the project with Anderson Mason Dale Architects and Moore Ruble Yudell as the architecture firms.

The residence hall is one of three new buildings DU plans to open in fall 2020, including the Community Commons, which will features both classrooms and a dining hall, and the Pioneer Career Achievement Center, which will incorporate career planning and alumni offices.

Reports from the BusinessDen and the University of Denver contributed to this story.

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NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame has been exemplary with its commitment to follow LEED standards for all new construction since 2011. Its most recent success in this area includes LEED Gold certification for new construction for its two new residence halls: Flaherty Hall and Dunne Hall.

Notre Dame adopted a sustainable buildings policy in 2011 that requires all new construction to be up to LEED standards. Since the implementation of this policy — and since the two new recent LEED Gold certifications — Notre Dame’s LEED Gold–certified buildings count has risen to eight. The other LEED Gold certified buildings on Notre Dame’s campus include Stinson-Remick Hall, the Purcell Pavilion, Geddes Hall, Ryan Hall, the renovation of the Morris Inn and Carole Sander Hall. Additionally, the campus is currently in the process of seeking three more LEED Silver certifications in addition to the existing three already on campus.

Flaherty Hall is a 226-bed residence for women, and Dunne Hall is a 221-bed residence for men. Both buildings opened in 2016, and were certified LEED Gold in December 2017. Designs for both buildings were carefully planned to incorporate methods for saving energy, water and other resources and generating less waste in both the construction and operation of the facilities, according to an article from American School & University.

The efforts of the design team and the university did not go to waste, as the two newly certified residence halls currently consume 28 percent less energy for heating and cooling compared to other newly constructed buildings, according to Notre Dame News. Some of the many methods used to save energy and other resources with these two new residence halls included the installation of high-efficiency faucets, shower heads and toilets, which have already enabled both residence halls to greatly reduce the amount water used. Current numbers show Flaherty Hall using 45 percent less water than a similar new building, and Dunne Hall takes it a bit further by using 51 percent less water.

Other efforts that helped to win these residence halls their LEED Gold status included the minimization of waste as much as possible during construction. In addition, the use of reused materials as much as possible was an important effort. Additionally, 33 percent of materials for both buildings was sourced locally, while some consisted of more than 20 percent of recycled content. All materials, such as paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, flooring systems and agrifiber products were certified as low-emitting.

From all of its efforts to become greener, Notre Dame has accomplished a 96 percent diversion rate for all construction project waste, according to the Notre Dame website. In addition, 95 percent of building space uses efficient, non-LED lighting (such as CFLs), and 40 percent of Notre Dame’s outdoor space uses highly efficient LED lighting.

In addition to Notre Dame’s efforts to build sustainable and LEED-certified buildings, the university is committed to waste reduction on campus. Waste reduction initiatives on campus fall into two categories: reducing resource use and recycling. Recycling is coordinated through warehouse and delivery services and is supported by educational programs through the Office of Sustainability.

Additionally, the Office of Sustainability works with academic and administrative departments throughout the campus to find ways to reduce the unnecessary use of materials. The office takes individual choices such as recycling, double-sided printing, reusing furniture and switching to paperless forms of communication seriously, and is another part of how the university is able to make great strides in the area of sustainability for the campus and the school as a whole.

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WASHINGTON — Georgetown University in Washington has no shortage of honors associated with their green and sustainable efforts over the years — and yet another potential honor was bestowed upon them this year. Washington’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) nominated Georgetown University for its District Sustainability People’s Choice Award for most popular green business or organization on Feb. 14.

The DOEE nominates businesses, individuals and organizations each year for their accomplishments in sustainability. While the DOEE has been presenting sustainability awards every year since 2009, the People’s Choice Award was more recently introduced in 2016 — and this year is the first time that Georgetown has been a DOEE nominee. The voting process for the award will take place on the DOEE’s website and will be complete on March 16.

Georgetown has made many strides and accomplishments in the area of sustainability over the years. In addition, Georgetown has procured 100 percent Green-e certified renewable electricity since 2013 and was named one of four Green Power Partners of the Year in 2013 by the EPA.

Additionally, Georgetown was the first university in D.C. to be designated a Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists in 2013. On Earth Day 2017, Georgetown made an announcement about a major new solar panel initiative that will mean a cleaner electric grid, will serve to reduce expenditures and will serve low-income residents in Washington. Amongst other efforts, the Office of Sustainability at Georgetown will continue working towards its pledge to cut carbon emissions in half by the year 2020, with programs such as Campus Energy Conservation and Green Offices.

All new buildings and major renovations at Georgetown have achieved LEED Silver or higher since 2008, achieving more than 1 million square feet of LEED green building space on campus. Most recently — and quite possibly the impetus for the recent DOEE People’s Choice Award Nomination — the Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall and the John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletic Center have been certified LEED Gold (two of Georgetown’s most recent construction projects).

Prior to that, the School of Continuing Studies building downtown, Regents Hall and the Healey Family Student Center were also certified LEED Gold.

In September 2017, Georgetown and Miami-based Origis Energy USA announced a power purchase agreement to develop a 32.5-megawatt offsite solar power system that will provide almost 50 percent of campus electricity needs and help the university fulfill its sustainability mission, according to an announcement on Georgetown’s website.

Under the agreement, Origis will install 105,000 solar panels on a 518-acre property in La Plata, Md. The panels will be owned and operated by Origis and produce 75,000-megawatt hours of power each year. Construction on the upcoming project is expected to start in January 2019 after the company completes research and permitting. The system is expected to be fully operational six months later in summer 2019.

“Our team is humbled to support Georgetown University’s pursuit of environmental excellence and leadership,” said Johan Vanhee, managing director, Business Development at Origis Energy, in a recent statement. “We commend the university’s solar energy leadership in the nation’s capital and their mission to contribute to renewable energy intelligence globally.”

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LINCOLN, Neb. — Construction is currently underway on the The Nebraska Innovation Campus (NIC) in Lincoln on a new multi-tenant building. Like the other buildings on the campus, the new building will be constructed to LEED Silver standards.

The 80,000-square-foot building had a budget of $15.3 million, with The Clark Enersen Partners in Lincoln as the architect on the project. Hausmann Construction in Lincoln is the construction manager on the project, and the Tetrad Capital Group of Omaha, Neb., is the owner.

The new building was announced on Aug. 30 and is projected to be complete by July 2018, in time for the 2018 fall semester. The new building is the next step in the 25-year buildout plan for Nebraska Innovation Campus, with 380,000 square feet already constructed, according to Kate A. Engel, director of communication & culture at NIC.

“We’ve started construction on the next building at NIC because we’re almost out of space in the current completed constructed space,” said Dan Duncan, executive director at NIC. “NIC is 100 percent leased with a few small areas available for sublease. Space in this new building is starting to fill up.”

The new building will be made of structural steel with a metal panel and masonry exterior, and is designed with “open architecture” that allows multiple build-to-suite options, according to Engel. The plans include a common dining area and meeting rooms intended to facilitate interactions between the buildings inhabitants, with a community garden and recreation areas surrounding the building.

The three-story structure will feature a planned business “incubator” and will contain common spaces built to spur collaboration. In addition, there will be a basketball court on the west side of the building for campus use, and three balconies — one on the second floor and two on the third floor — for general tenant use.

“The design is a modern take on office space,” said Josh Berger, director of operations for Tetrad Property Group. “The amenities we’ve included in the building reflect what we have learned about what the next generation of the workforce wants in their working environment.”

As part of its sustainable design, the new building will be connected to a centralized renewable energy system (CRES), giving the building a low carbon footprint. The CRES leverages its proximity to the City of Lincoln’s Theresa Street Wastewater Treatment Plant to provide year-round heating and cooling to NIC without the use of steam boilers and water chillers. As such, the CRES will allow the building to sustainably warm and cool the building through the exchange of thermal energy from treated wastewater.

Additionally, the building will feature a three-bin waste system, which includes single-stream recycling, organics collection/recycling and landfill trash. Organic waste collected from NIC will include food waste, disposable hand towels, compostable disposable service-wear, and used napkins and tissues and cardboard and paper, which will be picked up by the local Prairieland Dairy.

One of the biggest challenges on the project was working to develop an efficient floor plan that would be cost effective while also providing the right mix of amenities to help recruit companies to occupy the building, according to Berger.

“Balancing the needs of the campus with the cost of the building and market conditions is always a challenge,” said Berger. “But, what we do know is that the more thoughtful and cost effective we are when it comes to design and build projects, the easier it is to recruit and continue to build the culture, which is the ultimate goal of the campus.”

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BALTIMORE — Construction on the Fort Worthington Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore reached substantial completion in August, with a ribbon cutting held on Aug. 23, just in time for the first day of school on Sept. 5. The new facility replaces the old Fort Worthington Elementary School, previously located on the same site. The design was developed to meet the new educational specifications of an expanded population of grades K–8. The completed product of the new school provides a cost-effective, energy-efficient and safe facility to meet the school’s needs.

Calverton, Md.-based Grimm+Parker served as the architect on the project, with the local offices of Gilbane Building Company serving as the general contractor. The 103,365-square-foot facility has a capacity to hold 700 students and was completed with a budget of $37 million. Design of the facility took place between October 2014 and January 2016, with the start of construction in May 2016.

All classrooms are equipped with several technology features including short throw projectors, which will have an input station located behind the teacher’s desk that allow for various inputs including computer, document camera and USB devices. Sound enhancement systems are installed in each classroom, which include a wearable microphone for teachers as well as a handheld microphone for students and guests. This system also can be integrated with hearing impaired devices.

The “cafetorium” can hold 400 students at a time, with three lunch periods to accommodate the entire student body, and is equipped with projection screens and projector for presentations and events. Sound-dampening devices were installed to reduce sound transfer to other spaces in the school, to maintain as peaceful a dining and school environment as possible. Fort Worthington is a project-based school, and as such, the tech lab is fit out with laboratory casework, power reels in the ceiling, and electrical fit out for fabrication equipment such as 3D Printers, CNC machines and saws. The school grounds include a playing field, an outdoor basketball court, two playgrounds as well as parking.

Additionally, the school includes community learning and meeting areas, flexible office spaces, and mental health and personal care facilities. The building is Wi-Fi enabled and has a cell phone and emergency repeater system — a distributed antennae system (DAS) — to allow for communication in the event of an emergency. In addition, the building is configured in a way that it can be used as a FEMA shelter after an emergency.

The building was designed to meet LEED Silver requirements. In addition to having LED lighting throughout the building, the new facility possesses bioretention facilities to provide stormwater management and educational opportunities. There is high albedo roofing throughout the complex to reduce urban heat island effect, as well as roof equipment located in such a way as to allow space for solar panels in the future. Daylight harvesters are used to reduce the output of the light fixtures near the classroom’s windows. On bright days, these fixtures can be dimmed, and all classrooms are equipped with manual shades to permit low-light instruction.

All classrooms are heated and cooled by variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems, which allow the units to scale power consumption to the needs of the space. In addition, each classroom has a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) which brings in semi-conditioned fresh air into the space. High-efficiency mechanical systems were installed to transfer heating and cooling energy between rooms, and low-flow plumbing fixtures were installed throughout the facility for reduced water consumption.

“Fort Worthington is the first of approximately 22 schools that will be newly constructed or modernized in Baltimore under the 21st Century Schools Program,” said Paul Bradshaw, principal architect at Grimm+Parker. “The school represents the commitment of Baltimore City to the design of schools based on the leading edge of technology and sustainability, principles of student engagement and collaboration that serve as community hubs and foster community engagement.”

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The building was originally built in 1963 when Old Martin Hall was demolished due to old age and deterioration. Martin Hall (old and new) serve as the primary administrative building where the Registrar’s Office, Admissions, Enrollment Management, Scholarship Office and Graduate School are located. With the exception of renovations of individual suites in the building, Martin Hall “hasn’t been touched” since it was first built, according to Bill Crist, director of facility management at UL. In addition to the work yet to be completed this summer, UL has spent the past few months removing asbestos that still remained in the building, and made repairs to the roof earlier this year.

Much of the work on Martin Hall has to be completed over the weekends and must be staged around the occupancy of the building, according to Crist, as the building is otherwise fully functional throughout the course of the entire year — summer being no exception. “What we’ve had to do is complete the work one hallway at a time over the weekends,” said Crist. “We start work on a Friday afternoon and have it done by Sunday night so nobody is endangered or inconvenienced.”

While the university waited close to 60 years to make updates to Martin Hall, renovation is not a new concept on campus. Fifteen new buildings have been constructed on campus over the past four years, according to Crist, including the new LEED Silver–certified Student Union, which was completed in spring of 2015. The long delay on updates to Martin Hall are simply “a matter of budget and priorities,” according to Crist, with administrative buildings simply not being as high of a priority as student or academic-related spaces. “We generally prioritize our student areas first, but at the end of the day, these things still need taking care of.”

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Designed by Centerbrook Architects & Planners of Centerbrook, Conn., the project was part of a larger master-planning project that included the construction of two new facilities built on the institution’s Upper School campus.

“An academic LEED building can be particularly satisfying, infusing the education with the sustainable and teaching outside the classroom with the building itself,” said Centerbrook partner Mark Simon, FAIA, in a statement. “University School has a splendid 100-plus year history of experiential learning. Seeing what something is made of leads to thinking about how and why — eliciting curiosity about almost everything. We eagerly built on that tradition.”

For example, the project’s overall narrow orientation and deep windows maximize daylight without overheating. Meanwhile, the exposed concrete structure and open-grid ceilings store thermal energy to minimize heating and cooling needs. The pond loop geothermal system is an affordable energy-saver that also serves as a teaching tool.

“Sustainability continues to be an important theme for University School,” said Headmaster Richard Bryan in a statement. “We were able to add 50,000 square feet with no increase in energy costs thanks to the creative solutions provided by Centerbrook. The quality of the space is also an important factor in maximizing teaching and learning. Students and teachers express how appreciative they are to have such compelling learning spaces.”

The building’s features tallied 56 points on the LEED scale to earn BD+C (Building Design + Construction) Silver, including 16 out of a possible 19 points for optimizing energy performance, according to a statement by Centerbrook Architects & Planners. The project also earned two-thirds of the points available in the indoor environmental quality and innovation categories.

“With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, University School’s Academic & Science Wing is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement.”

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