Southwestern University's Admission Center receives Gold LEED Certification

Southwestern University's Admission Center receives Gold LEED Certification

By Community Impact Newspaper Staff Friday, 21 August 2009

The Wilhelmina Cullen Admission Center at Southwestern University has been awarded Gold Certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.

The LEED Rating System was launched in 2000 by the U.S. Green Building Council and is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED certification offers third-party validation of a project’s green features and verifies that the building operates exactly as designed.

LEED is a point-based system in which building projects earn LEED points for satisfying green building criteria. Within each of the six LEED credit categories, projects must satisfy prerequisites and earn points. The six categories include sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design. The number of points the project earns determines the level of LEED Certification the project receives, including Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Southwestern scored 46 out of a possible 69 LEED credits for the building and qualified for a Gold rating.

The admission center received the highest number of LEED points for indoor environmental quality, achieved by using low VOC-emitting paints, coatings, adhesives and carpet throughout the building. Additionally, only approved chemicals and methods will be allowed for cleaning and pest control.

The building’s water efficiency features, including dual-flush toilets, waterless urinals and solar-powered, timed faucets, will save an estimated 33,000 gallons of water a year. Water-efficient irrigation is also expected to yield 52 percent water savings compared to traditional planting.

Additionally, the building’s reflective roof shingles and insulation allows the building to use nearly 40 percent less energy than a typical building of the same size.

Forty-one percent of the building materials, including the Austin cream limestone veneer and the custom roof trusses, were extracted, harvested and manufactured within 500 miles of the project site. This reduced the economic and environmental impact of transportation. Ninety-two percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill through recycling.

The new admission center opened in January 2009 and houses all of Southwestern’s admission counselors and financial assistance staff. The one-story, 9,602 sq. ft. building was completed at a cost of $3.3 million.