University of Tampa has added a new school color by going green. In September of this year, UT received LEED® Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the Science Annex, and Silver certification for the Dickey Health and Wellness Center.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally-recognized green building certification system that was created by the U.S. Green Building Council.
According to the USGBG website, LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable environment-friendly building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
Once a building has been completed, it is given a rating based on how well the building saves energy, is water efficient, reduces CO2 emissions, improves indoor environmental quality, and management of resources and their impacts.
The Science Annex was completed in August and the Dickey Health and Wellness center was completed in November of 2010.
During construction of the buildings, similar methods were used to help these buildings reach optimum green level.
During construction, the workers sought to reduce the amount of waste thrown away by recycling leftover materials and the building continues to recycle now. Also, materials were gathered from local and regional places, using as much recycled content as possible.
Once completed, the buildings were finished with paints and flooring that followed the guidelines set by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, significantly improving the indoor air environment and health for all occupants.
The buildings’ restrooms have ‘low flow’ faucets and toilets, which significantly reduce water consumption in the building and reduce water demand by over 30 percent.
Also, rooms are equipped with light sensors that only turn on if the room is occupied and will automatically turn off when occupants leave.
Unique to itself, the Science Annex has a reflective surface roof that keeps the building at a comfortable temperature while reducing the amount of energy required to cool the building.
It also has monitors on all mechanical systems that allow UT to review the consumption of energy and resources daily, which helps monitor the building’s operations and ensure continued efficiency.
“I am extremely pleased that our new buildings have received Gold and Silver certification,” said UT President Ronald Vaughn in an article regarding the certifications on the UT website.
“The University is committed to providing healthy, safe and efficient buildings for all students, faculty and staff, and continually seeks innovative ways to conserve natural resources and lessen its impact on the environment.”
Mia Glatter can be reached at mia.glatter@spartans.ut.edu.