UNC Campus Commons Receives Gold Rating for Building Performance
August 9, 2019
The University of Northern Colorado’s Campus Commons was awarded Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Buildings Council earlier
this month.
The 114,000-square-foot building’s features were designed with the environment and future in mind. Here are some sustainable practices utilized in Campus Commons:
- 58% less water usage for irrigating surrounding landscapes as well as 38% less potable water usage than a conventional building.
- 28% less energy usage than a typical new building as compared to older standards. An example includes the Performance Hall’s HVAC system using displacement ventilation to provide conditioned air from the floor rather than overhead.
- Prioritization of recycled content and regional materials as well as the use of Forest Stewardship Council certified wood in the building of Campus Commons.
- Maximizing daylight to provide a constant connection to the outside with over 90% of the regularly occupied areas in the building with views to the outdoors.
LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health, including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor-environmental quality.
“In addition to being a requirement for building projects that receive state funding, LEED is the right thing to do,” said Kirk Leichliter, assistant vice president of UNC Facilities Management. “LEED buildings are environmentally friendly, much more efficient in terms of energy and water savings and cost less to operate over the life of the building.”
Butler Hancock was the first LEED Certified building on UNC’s campus in 2011.
In July, a publication that covers the engineering and construction industries named the Commons as one of the best projects in the region.
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