U-M sets construction standards to LEED Silver

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

The University of Michigan had been working towards energy efficiency in its new building construction for years, but now it has an official standard: silver LEED status.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a standard created by the U.S. Green Building Council. It provides independent third-party certification that takes into account water efficiency, indoor air quality, use of sustainable materials in construction, and other aspects of environmentally friendly construction.

Terry Alexander, executive director of the office of campus sustainability for the university, says although there's never been a formal policy until now, about half of the last few dozen construction projects over the last 3.5 years would have nonetheless fit that criteria.

"We've been building very green buildings, but we've never gone for formal certification," he says. "This is designed for new buildings, or for new building additions. We're constantly doing remodeling and renovation on buildings."

U-M buildings that have already achieved LEED certification include the Gold LEED Dana Building, home of the School of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Silver LEED Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Two projects under construction, the Mott Children's and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospitals Replacement Project and a new Law School academic building, are on track for LEED certification.

The university does energy modeling to make older structures more energy-efficient. Existing mechanical system tune-ups and occupant education has led to an approximate 8-11 percent energy savings in those buildings, Alexander says.

Many of the ideas for increasing sustainability have come from community town hall meetings, he adds. "It's kind of exciting when you've got an entire community working together."

U-M's sustainable history goes back decades: In the 1960s, the university became one of the first to convert from coal to cleaner-burning natural gas. It began a recycling program in 1970.

The city of Ann Arbor has also made a commitment to sustainability. In a joint resolution between the planning commission, environmental commission, and energy commission, it acknowledged previous work toward sustainable programs and announced a new Citizen Outreach Committee for a "broader view of sustainability" and to "broaden the community-wide discussion of planning."

Sources: Terry Alexander, executive director of the office of campus sustainability, University of Michigan; City of Ann Arbor
Writer: Kristin Lukowski