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Two campus projects may gain LEED rating

Two new Sacramento State projects – the American River Courtyard student housing complex and the Recreation and Wellness Center – are expected to receive a LEED Silver rating, pending review by the U.S. Green Building Council.
           
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to encourage environmental awareness by government agencies, architects, engineers, developers and builders. The council awards a rating among four levels: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

American River Courtyard, which opens this fall near the J Street campus entrance, will offer apartment-style housing for second-year returning resident students and transfer, international and graduate students. The 209,050-square-foot hall will offer 600 beds in suite-style configurations.

The Recreation and Wellness Center, scheduled to open in fall 2010 at the north end of Hornet Stadium, will be a 150,845-square-foot multi-use facility with courts, weight and fitness rooms, a climbing wall, indoor track and new student health center.  

Under a California State University executive order, all new campus buildings and facilities must be designed and constructed with the goal that they outperform the applicable energy code by a minimum 15 percent and obtain at least a LEED Silver rating. The order calls for efficient water use, low life-cycle operating costs and optimal indoor air quality. Building contracts must encourage recycling and the use of environmentally friendly construction materials.

The American River Courtyard project outperformed the energy code by “an outstanding 25 percent,” according to Victor Takahashi, director of Facilities, Planning and Construction Services. The Recreation and Wellness Center project incorporated advanced, low-emitting skylights to reduce solar impact yet provide substantial daylight.

Takahashi noted that both projects incorporate many environmentally friendly measures, including:  

• Preferred parking for low-pollution vehicles.
• Sidewalks and other fixtures designed to minimize heat.
• Exterior lighting designed to reduce light pollution.
• Water-reducing fixtures such as toilets and shower heads.
• High-efficiency air handlers, chillers, boilers and lights.
• C02 sensors that monitor indoor air quality.
• Ban on use of ozone-depleting refrigerants.
• Green housekeeping.
• Separation of construction waste such as cardboard, concrete, wood and metals.