Building Momentum
Rice gives the ‘green’ light to energy-saving, eco-friendly facilities
From green spaces to “green” structures, Rice University continues to build on its long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability. Rice punctuated this earth-friendly pledge in August 2006 when it announced that all new campus buildings would be constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Building and renovation projects benefiting from this commitment include Duncan and McMurtry Colleges, the Collaborative Research Center and the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, among others.
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED program employs criteria for environmentally sensitive construction and focuses on six major areas: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process.
“LEED is a rating system of sorts, a tool to help people understand essentially what a ‘green’ building is,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO of USGBC. “There was a standard need because we have a tremendous number of problems in the current building stock of the United States and buildings around the world. They are energy hogs, use way too much water and create tremendous amounts of waste.”
Buildings can achieve one of four levels of qualification — Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum — which are determined by compliance with a 69-point, checklist-driven system. Buildings that comply with between 52 and 69 points of the checklist are awarded Platinum status; those that comply with 39 to 51 points earn Gold status; compliance with between 33 and 38 points earns Silver status; and 26- to 32-point compliance earns Certified status.
“Although Rice has always been interested in building durable facilities, minimizing waste and maximizing energy efficiency, the LEED evaluation process permits us to consider decisions specifically through a filter that reflects sustainability values,” said Associate Vice President of Facilities, Engineering and Planning Barbara White Bryson. “Regardless of one’s personal perspective on global warming or our personal impact on the environment, discussion regarding LEED and sustainable practices constitutes a win-win situation for all members of the Rice community.”