EcoBlog

Green Construction on Campus

Innovations in the design and renovation of two UMD buildings have improved energy usage at UMD. The Life Science Renovation and the design of the Labovitz School of Business and Economics are going for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification as established by the U.S. Green Building Council. In the LEED rating system there are different levels of certification that can be awarded. These levels are decided by a point system that reflects how well the building is designed and built with “green� ideals in mind. There are a total of 69 points for new buildings and four point levels: Certified 26-32 points, Silver 33-38 points, Gold 39-51 points, Platinum 52-69 points. For the LSBE building UMD has applied for 40 points, with 24 earned in the design stage and 3 denied. The rest of the points are still pending with 9 that can only be awarded when construction is complete. Points from the design phase can be taken way if the finished building doesn’t reflect the design, and points that have been denied in the design phase can be awarded if the actual construction meets requirements. So with all that in mind it is very likely that LSBE will be LEED Certified at least with a chance at Silver and a very slim chance at Gold.

Without going into a more in-depth review of the information we have on the LSBE building it, seems that a lot of planning and effort was put into making the new building as Earth friendly as possible while still meeting the needs of the school. Of course it would be wonderful for the building to achieve the Platinum level but the points that UMD has not perused are either significantly more costly to peruse or just aren’t feasible here in Duluth.

For more information about the rating system for the LEED Program you can follow this link (page 4 is the project checklist that outlines the categories required) http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/LEEDdocs/3.4xLEEDRatingSystemJune01.pdf

We do not have any information on the Life Science renovation, but we did find some information about efficiency improvements over older buildings in the Swenson Science Building. The following link from Minnesota Power describes the energy efficiency efforts built into the Swenson Science Building and the grants UMD has received because of it. http://www.mnpower.com/powergrant/profiles/umd.pdf

We discussed several suggestions for further energy efficiencies for UMD buildings and want to know what you think about them.
-Light sensors in the dorms, dims hallway lights when no one is there but brightens when motion is detected
-Paint more walls white/light colors to reflect more light
-Apply weather stripping to the bottom of doors in the dorm hallways to control heat

However…
It’s Not Just the Buildings…It’s the People That Can Make a Difference Too

There will still be problems with inefficiencies based solely on the energy consumption habits of individuals. This includes heating and cooling system temperature control, lighting and water usage.

Please continue to look around your own living environment to see what energy inefficiencies you see.