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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BOULDER, Colo. — Three athletic buildings at the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU) were certified LEED Platinum in fall 2017 — the highest possible LEED rating. With this latest certification by the USGBC, CU now has 25 buildings certified LEED Gold or better, either for new construction or major renovations.

The three new LEED Platinum certifications applied to the Champions Center, the net-zero-energy Indoor Practice Facility (IPF) as well as the extensive renovations done to the Dal Ward Athletic Center. All three of the athletic buildings were included in a CU athletic department facilities upgrade project that arrived at completion in 2016. The three buildings were certified in December 2017, which raised CU’s number of LEED Platinum certified building to 10.

Completion of the new Champions Center brought a new home for CU athletics administration, the CU football program, Olympic sports, the CU Sports Medicine and Performance Center as well as the Champions Club. The IPF is a climate-controlled facility and includes a full football field as well as a six-lane, 300-meter track. Upgrades to the Dal Ward Athletic Center feature new locker rooms and a new weight room for CU Olympic sports, a new room for the Herbst Academic Center and the Touchdown Club room. The Champions Center as well as the Dal Ward construction also included the addition of a pair of premium seating areas at Folsom Field.

“Achieving LEED Platinum for a project of this magnitude is a testament to the work and collaboration of several campus departments and partners,” said David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and safety at CU in a recent statement. “Athletics has been a key driver of campus efforts to be a leader in sustainability, and this project is a shining example of that.”

The three-buildings project was led by Denver-based Mortenson Construction and Populous — a Denver-based architecture firm — as a joint design-build venture. Noresco, an energy services company based in Boulder, Colo., provided sustainability consulting services on the project. Construction on the project began in 2014, with different aspects of the project opening in 2015 and 2016 before its final completion at the end of 2016.

The most noteworthy sustainability feature of the athletic facilities upgrade project is the 850-kilowatt solar array that sits atop the IPF, with an estimated annual production of more than 1 million kilowatt hours. The entirety of the energy use of the IPF is offset by the solar array, which includes 28 percent of  the Athletics facilities’  usage.

Other sustainability aspects of the athletics project that helped to earn the highest LEED rating for the buildings include ample daylighting in the Champions Center and IPF, reduced water use through sustainable fixture selection, mechanical and lighting systems controls that enable optimization of energy, heating and cooling systems, and a new stormwater detention pond at the corner of Folsom Street and Stadium Drive that provides natural filtration of stormwater from the site.

“These state-of-the-art facilities have proven transformational to the success of our Athletic Department,” said Rick George, athletic director at CU, in a recent statement. “We’re proud that sustainability was at the forefront in the way they were built and how we use them every day.”

In addition to the recent and past LEED certifications CU has earned over the years, Folsom Field was the nation’s first zero-waste collegiate stadium, and the Ralphie’s Green Stampede program was the nation’s first NCAA Division I sports sustainability program. In addition, all events held at Folsom Field and the Coors Events Center are zero-waste events.

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