BOULDER, Colo. — The Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE), which opened in the heart of the University of Colorado Boulder’s main campus last summer, has been awarded LEED Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 114,000-square-foot CASE building serves as a new gateway to the campus that supports the academic and student experience from the time prospective students first visit campus through their time at CU Boulder, to graduation and beyond. The latest recognition brings the total number of CU Boulder buildings with LEED certification to 27, either for new construction or major renovations.

“Earning LEED certification for such a prominent building on our campus is exciting as it helps place our commitment to sustainable and efficient building practices front and center in the CU Boulder landscape,” said David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability.

Noresco provided sustainability consulting services to CU Boulder to ensure that sustainability goals of the CASE project were achieved. Oz Architecture and Bora Architects led design of the building, while GH Phipps Construction Cos., served as general contractor.

Sustainability was woven into systems throughout the CASE building. One of the most prominent features is the electrochromic glass installed at the top-level terraces. The glazing on these south-facing windows self-dims as sun exposure increases, minimizing heat gain and glare while highlighting the breathtaking views of the Flatirons mountains beyond. Also significant was construction of the building atop an existing parking garage, avoiding consumption of green space and actually introducing new sources of vegetation to the site on the north-facing slope.

Other sustainability highlights that bolstered the CASE building’s LEED score include:

• LED lighting throughout that contributes to 32 percent energy savings versus a baseline office and classroom building

• Low-flow plumbing features to conserve water, contributing to a 40 percent reduction in indoor water use versus a baseline office and classroom building

• 67 percent of construction waste diverted from landfills

• HVAC and envelope designed to provide a comfortable thermal environment to promote occupant productivity and well-being

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EUGENE, Ore. — The University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene announced plans and unveiled renderings for its Knight Campus for Accelerated Scientific Impact on Oct. 27. The groundbreaking is planned for early February 2018, with construction on the project expected to start next spring.

New York-based Ennead Architects and Bora Architects of Portland, Ore., are the architects on the project, with Hoffman Construction of Portland, Ore., serving as the general contractor on the project. Plans are to complete construction on the project in 2020.

The first phase of the project — which was designed by Ennead Architects — will be completed in phases, the first of which will be a 160,000-square-foot $225 million set of buildings connected by a glass terrace. This initial part of the project will be built along the north side of Franklin Boulevard between Onyx Street and Riverfront Parkway. The UP Board of Trustees approved UO spending for this phase during the last week of October.

The overall project cost of the Knight Campus is $1 billion. In addition to the $225 million that UO approved in October, UO Graduate and Nike Founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny donated a gift of $500 million towards the project’s development and construction. Additionally, $50 million in state bonds will serve to fund the project. The university still must raise $500 million from other donors.

“Penny and I are thrilled with the progress that is being made with this new campus,” Knight said in a statement. “We have high hopes that these buildings and the people inside them will do great things for our university and the state.”

The new Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact has a goal to fast-track scientific discoveries into innovations that improve the quality of life for people in Oregon, the nation and the world, according to a statement from UO. The new campus is intended to transform student education through discovery-driven learning, engage the public in the excitement and creativity of scientific research, and foster diverse perspectives and participation in scientific research.

Todd Schliemann — one of the lead architects at Ennead on the project — said the new complex will provide researchers and students with a compact, collaborative space that far surpasses the potential scientific collaboration of previous projects, according to a recent interview with KLCC. The glass-and-steel building will also include a skybridge over Franklin Boulevard connecting to other research facilities on the Oregon campus and will create a gateway corridor between Eugene and Springfield.  

The architectural renderings and three-dimensional models that were revealed on Oct. 27, “represent months of intensive work by our terrific architectural team and on-campus building user group,” according to Patrick Phillips, acting executive director for the project and professor of biology at UO, in a recent statement on the university website. “The architecture itself reinforces the Knight Campus goals of supporting innovative, interactive and high-impact research in an open, cutting-edge space.”

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The new Fine Arts Center is expected to be a state-of-the-art facility with a 1,500-seat performance hall capable of supporting the district’s flourishing musical, theatrical and visual arts programs, according to a statement by Tony Pearson, assistant director for facility services, Plano ISD. It is tentatively set to include a large performance hall, studio theater and rehearsal space, black box theater, visual arts spaces and an art gallery.

“We are extremely excited to begin the formal design process on the Fine Arts Center that will serve our award-winning fine arts programs,” said Kathy Kuddes, director for fine arts and special programs, in a statement.

Kuddes added that the district looks forward to the delivery of “a space that is both functional yet beautiful, educational yet professional and a place by which students, parents, staff and our community will be inspired.”

Voters overwhelmingly supported the district’s $481 million bond program in May 2016, with nearly 80 percent voting in favor of it. The bond program was established to fund multiple initiatives recommended by a community-based task force. The design and construction of the Fine Arts Center in particular will support the educational development of the more than 60 percent of Plano ISD secondary students who participate in fine arts programs, according to a statement by the design teams. The project, along with upgrades to existing facilities throughout the district, is expected to total $94.3 million.

Programming and planning for the new Fine Arts Center are already underway. The process has included workshops attended by consultants and architects from both design firms as well as project stakeholders such as community members, district staff members and those representing the Plano ISD facility services and fine arts departments.

Plano ISD is located 20 miles north of Dallas and serves more than 55,000 students in 72 schools and 11 service facilities. The district purchased the 16.3-acre site for the new Fine Arts Center in October 2016 for $4.28 million.

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