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Scorecards are migrating beyond athletics. At Facilities Planning, project
managers are asking architects to complete a scorecard on their projects to
ensure that new buildings are more energy, water and materials efficient than
their predecessors. The tally measures the points the building would be
eligible for under the LEED Program -- Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design. LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council and evaluates
such project characteristics as site disturbance, indoor air quality and the
systems and products used to construct, operate and furnish a building.
At Carolina, two new projects will formally seek LEED Certification -- the
addition to Carrington Hall, home of the nursing school, and the Visitor
Education Center at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. By incorporating
energy and water efficiency measures, carefully selecting materials and
fixtures and making sure systems work as intended, these buildings will be less
expensive to operate. They will also enhance the comfort and productivity of
their occupants.
Some common denominators of "green" buildings include daylight and fresh air.
Studies at schools and businesses indicate higher attendance, productivity, and
satisfaction among the occupants of day-lit buildings. While intuitively
obvious, this finding is shaking the architectural world. Day-lighting
consultants are in demand because in addition to more satisfied students and
employees, owners of day-lit buildings save money. More daylight reduces use of
artificial lights. Fewer lights generate less heat. And less heat lowers demand
for air conditioning. In today's high-tech offices where computers and other
equipment run nonstop, heat load is only partially related to outside
temperature. So more daylight results in lower air-conditioning costs. Less
demand for air conditioning also translates into less air pollution and reduced
greenhouse gas emissions.
At the botanical garden Visitor Education Center, fresh air will be available
throughout. Operable windows and doors that open onto decks and patios will
help bring the garden in-doors and the inhabitants outdoors. Views of the site
will remind visitors where they are and why they came. The mold and indoor air
quality problems that plague current occupants of the Totten Center will become
a bad memory. Good indoor air quality is a high priority in today's green
buildings.
The garden's building committee is also interested in demonstrating
technologies and products that tread lightly on the Earth. This goal suits an
organization whose mission is to conserve endangered plants and habitats.
At the nursing school addition, it's the rooftop that will beckon students and
staff. An inviting patio will adjoin a vegetated roof. Beyond aesthetics, the
roof will capture stormwater, holding it onsite to help prevent downstream
flooding and erosion. Commonly used in Germany, "green" roofs will help fulfill
one of the University's new commitments under the development plan. Despite 5.9
million square feet of new construction, Carolina has agreed not to increase
the volume, rate or pollutant load of stormwater running off campus. A myriad
of strategies will be required to hold water in place and then slowly release
it into the ground and the atmosphere.
Greener building practices also are sought by the state. Starting in October
2001, a life cycle cost assessment must be performed and certified for all new
buildings larger than 20,000 square feet. Evaluating long-term operating costs
should result in different decisions than those based on first cost alone.
Designs and technologies that reduce resource consumption will be favored.
Campus administrators are adopting a similar approach for major building
renovations. No longer will interiors be gutted without addressing issues such
as indoor air quality, energy efficiency and leaky roofs.
To demonstrate the advantages of high performance buildings, the State
Construction Office is seeking pilot projects that exemplify a better approach.
Four of the 10 will be located on university campuses. Surely one of those
should be at Carolina.
Sponsored by Facilities Services
Writer: Cindy Pollock Shea, sustainability coordinator
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