Straub Hall achieves LEED Gold certification
Straub Hall Renovation and Classroom Addition recently received LEED Gold certification. In collaboration with Opsis Architecture, Rowell Brokaw Architects performed an extensive renovation, replacing the infrastructure and transforming the interior into a cutting-edge facility. Straub Hall now features a daylit large lecture auditorium.
As part of the Oregon Model for Sustainable Development at the University of Oregon, all building projects after July 2011 must be 35% more efficient than required by state code and achieve LEED Gold certification. The efficiency of the retrofit to Straub Hall helps the UO achieve its overall goal of creating a net-zero campus.
LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in key areas of human environmental health, including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Highlights of the LEED Gold achievement include the following:
Site
• Access to public transportation
• Parking spaces for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles
• Bicycle racks
• Stormwater control through stormwater planters
• 80% of total suspended solids (TSS) removed from stormwater
• Reduction of heat island effect through open-grid paving, light-colored paving, and a reflective white membrane roof ("cool roof")
Water Efficiency
• 67% reduction in total water usage achieved
Energy and Atmosphere
• Optimal energy performance at 35% energy use beyond state code
• Enhanced commissioning
• High-efficiency heating and cooling systems
• HVAC system that uses heat recovery
• Daylit lecture halls decrease need for electric lighting
• Occupancy sensors and automatic dimming in daylit spaces
• Optimal window/skylight sizes and locations achieved through daylight models
Materials and Resources
• 50% of interior non-structural elements reused
• 75% of construction waste was recycled
• 20% of total cost of materials was local/regional (located within 500 miles of site)
Indoor Environmental Quality
• Low and no VOC paints, adhesives, sealants, coatings and carpet
• Workstations and multi-occupant spaces with controls/operable windows
• POE survey verifying thermal comfort (based on ASHRAE 55-2004)
Innovation in Design
• Green products for cleaning and pest management
• Extensive mock-ups of window retrofit and exterior wall assemblies to quantify energy performance