Building a Greener Learning Environment for Business

By Robert D. Waller for Texas Tech University | April 22, 2009

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Design plans for Texas Tech University’s new Rawls College of Business building have all the ingredients of a first-class education facility. Classrooms custom-made for student success will be wired with the latest technology and wrapped inside the campus’ signature Spanish Renaissance architecture.

But blueprints for this Red Raider project also include an unexpected element: the color green.

When completed, the 145,000-square-foot facility will be the first building on campus to apply for LEED certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

According to Texas Tech officials, the new Rawls College of Business building is the second building in Lubbock to pursue the certification, created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit organization that advocates the design and construction of environmentally responsible buildings.

LEED is a points-based system that recognizes projects that satisfy criteria across six categories: sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation in design.

“The LEED program helps to document and record the fact that we have quality, energy efficient buildings here at Texas Tech,” said Project Manager Hugh Cronin with Texas Tech University System Facilities Planning and Construction. “The Texas Tech University System fully supports the goals of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program.”

USGBC will make the final determination on the project’s certification upon completion, but many features of the new building have been designed with specific green building goals in mind.

Plans for sustainability start at the curb, where five percent of the total vehicle parking capacity for the site will be designated for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles. These vehicles, as defined by USGBC guidelines, are classified as Zero Emission Vehicles by the California Air Resources Board or have achieved a minimum green score of 40 in the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s annual vehicle rating guide.

Bicycle racks will also be installed at the site, which is located along the campus bus route to encourage the use of public transportation. Existing parking lots are being preserved during construction and no new parking surfaces will be added, minimizing additional environmental impact.

Water conservation is also a priority for the new building. Landscaping is designed to minimize storm water runoff using plants that thrive in the climate of the South Plains, thereby reducing the building’s irrigation needs.

Restrooms will use waterless urinals and low-flow toilets, reducing indoor water use by an estimated 30 percent.

Throughout the building, energy-efficient windows will provide views of the Texas Tech campus and large amounts of natural light while reducing the heating and cooling costs of the building. Heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems will also undergo more stringent testing and monitoring as part of the enhanced commissioning process for LEED certification.

Increased ventilation and the selection of low-emitting substances in construction materials such as carpet, adhesives and paint will improve air quality inside the building. Design plans also call for 20 percent pre- and post-consumer recycled content in everything from the carpet on the floor to the ceiling tiles overhead.

Upon completion, recycling efforts will continue in the day-to-day operations of the building. As a prerequisite to LEED certification, the completed building must provide accessible recycling areas, according to Cronin. Based on the local recycling infrastructure, current plans target cardboard, mixed office paper, newspaper and aluminum cans for building-wide collection and recycling.

Overall, Cronin expects the university to see an immediate benefit in energy savings, recovering any additional construction costs spent on LEED Certification in as little as five to ten years.

“LEED Certification doesn’t add much to the final cost of a project because the sustainable practices advocated by LEED are smart construction practices for any new building project,” said Cronin.

Environmental efforts planned for the new building are not waiting to be green-lighted at the groundbreaking ceremony. In fact, many of the project’s green building strategies have been in place since construction site preparations began last fall.

As crews worked to demolish Thompson and Gaston halls to make room for the building’s prime location at the new north-campus gateway, much of the debris was making its way to places other than the local landfill.

Furniture from the former student residence halls, including desks, chairs and mirrors, was donated to Lubbock-area charities like Habitat for Humanity. According to Lubbock Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Sandy Anderson, donated furniture was used to outfit four new homes with remaining items sold in the organization’s retail store, generating much-needed operating funds for the local non-profit.

Hazardous materials including asbestos, widely used when the buildings were constructed in 1957, have been safely removed and disposed of in a hazardous materials landfill.

Desirable metals such as copper pipe and steel rebar were recycled at metal salvage yards, and concrete and brick reclaimed from the buildings was crushed and used to backfill holes left by the buildings’ foundations and utility structures — never leaving the Texas Tech University campus.

When demolition concludes this spring, 75 percent of building materials from the Thompson/Gaston complex will have been recycled, avoiding disposal in a landfill.

Excavation of the new building’s foundation and utility tunnels will begin in June and construction is scheduled to begin at the end of the summer. The new building is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2011.

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