First Arkansas Structure Certified as 'Green'

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -The University of Arkansas Innovation Center, located in the Arkansas Research and Technology Park south of the UA main campus, was recently named one of the most environmentally friendly structures in the state of Arkansas and is the first in the state so designated by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a program administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, awarded the $5.3 million Innovation Center an overall score of 31 points and recognized the structure as Arkansas' only LEED-certified building.

"The Innovation Center demonstrates the University of Arkansas' commitment to the health and well-being of their employees and students," said USGBC President, CEO & Founding Chairman Rick Fedrizzi. "The Innovation building sets the bar for future green buildings within the state, and the university is to be commended."

"This is a wonderful accomplishment for the university," said Phillip Stafford, president of the UA Technology Development Foundation. "This 35,000-square-foot environmentally friendly structure will anchor the Arkansas Research and Technology Park and provide office and laboratory space for technologically intensive companies to co-locate with university faculty, creating an environment that will facilitate growth and innovation."

The Innovation Center, which was designed and engineered by Cromwell Architects Engineers, was completed on July 1. Cromwell also served as the LEED consultant on the project.

"We are so proud to be associated with a project like the Innovation Center," said Jan Meyer, director of sustainability at Cromwell Architects Engineers. "LEED certification is a significant achievement. It represents the commitment that the U of A has made to designing, constructing and operating its facilities in a manner that not only reduces the negative impact on the environment but establishes healthier work places for the occupants and improves operations and maintenance efficiencies that, over the life of the buildings, significantly reduce the demand on financial resources."

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), buildings in the United States consume more than 30 percent of the total energy and 60 percent of electricity annually. The DOE also says a typical North American commercial construction project generates up to 2.5 pounds of solid waste per square foot of floor space, and it estimates that an additional 38 million buildings will be constructed nationally by 2010.

Developed and launched in the 1990s, the LEED Green Building Rating System uses accepted energy and environmental principles to strike a balance between established practices and emerging concepts in construction. It evaluates environmental performance from a whole-building perspective and provides a definitive standard for what constitutes a "green building."

In its proposal for consideration as a LEED-certified building, materials used to construct the Innovation Center were described as being "based on many factors including recycled content, natural qualities and efficiencies of the raw materials and location of the manufacturing facilitiesÖ.By maximizing the natural finish and function of materials, costs, labor [and] materials, waste and indoor air pollutants were minimized."

Examples of cost-effective, environmentally safe materials used in construction include:

· All steel beams and columns are exposed, not wrapped with other materials. Consequently, no costs were incurred for extra materials or labor to cover the steel. No additional waste was created associated with material packaging or scrap from the installation. There were no additional Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions from added materials or emissions associated with shipping materials to the site.

· Where possible, the ceiling was left open, minimizing use of acoustical ceiling tiles.

· Galvanized steel gratings were used as the flooring in the second-floor lobby, creating a visual connection between the first and second floor while serving as both the floor for the second story and the ceiling for the first.

· Rather than wrapping all air ducts in protective materials, all were left exposed.

· Castellated beams, also referred to as smart beams, were utilized whenever structurally possible to reduce the steel weight.

· Light-weight materials were used where there were large cantilevers in order to reduce the steel beam sizes.

"All decisions regarding construction of the Innovation Center were based on creating flexibility within the building spaces," Stafford said. "Extremely adaptable systems such as raised floor under air distribution, movable walls and individually controlled, sensored light fixtures were used to minimize waste in materials, labor cost and time. Additionally, the majority of the furniture in the foundation offices is on castors so that it can be moved when special functions require a different layout."

The final LEED report was organized into five environmental categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality. The Innovation Center scored the following points:

Sustainable Sites 5 out of 14 possible points

Water Efficiency 3 out of 5 possible points

Energy and Atmosphere 7 out of 17 possible points

Materials and Resources 6 out of 13 possible points

Indoor Environmental Quality 6 out of 15 possible points

Innovation & Design 4 out of 5 possible points

A reception, commemorating the Innovation Center's achievement will be scheduled at a later date.