UC Merced Earns 13th LEED Certification
MERCED, Calif. —The University of California, Merced, received its 13th LEED certification when its student services building was awarded LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
The student services building, which is currently under construction, is the school’s newest building. The second Classroom and Office Building (COB2), is also expected to achieve platinum status.
The campus held a topping-off ceremony for COB2 on Dec. 9 with construction crews placing the uppermost beam on the building that’s expected to open in April 2016. Before the beam was placed, the campus community was invited to sign it, leaving marks and messages for anyone who might see it in the future.
UC Merced continues to be the only campus in the nation to earn LEED certification for all its facilities.
“UC Merced continues to pave the way in sustainable planning and design, frequently outperforming our objectives through the dedication and hard work of the consultants, contractors and staff involved and inspired by the vision of our leadership,” Thomas Lollini, campus architect, said in a statement.
The campus earned LEED Silver certification for the Garden Suites Lake View Dining Building. Additionally it has earned eight gold certificates for its Central Plant, Science & Engineering 1 the first Classroom and Office Building, the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, the Joseph Gallo Recreation Center, Sierra Terraces, Early Childhood Education Center and the Logistical Support/Safety Facility. The Early Childhood Education Center was one of the first LEED gold modular buildings in the country.
Additionally, the school has earned four platinum certificates for the dining expansion, the Social Science and Management building, the Student Activities and Athletic Center and now the Student Services Building. Platinum certifications are also pending on two residence halls, called The Summits, and on Science & Engineering 2, which opened this fall.
Earning LEED certifications for design is only one of the campus’ goals. The facilities department is also conducting audits of operations in every building on campus, from energy use to procurement procedures, to earn LEED recognition for the use and maintenance of the buildings.
The campus earlier this year won The California Architectural Foundation’s Owings Award for Environmental Excellence, recognizing UC Merced’s first development phase for its holistic view toward sustainability.
The campus’s master plan has won nine awards, including several from the American Institute of Architects, The Society of Campus and University Planners, the International Green Industry Hall of Fame, and the California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award.
Although UC Merced has been honored for sustainability in design and construction of its buildings, the campus continues to take on sustainability efforts, including its Triple Zero commitment to create zero landfill waste, consume zero net energy and produce zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The campus also plans to be nearly 90 percent powered by renewable energy by the end of 2016.
“There’s no other campus like UC Merced in the country,” Assistant Vice Chancellor of Strategic Facilities Planning Graeme Mitchell said in a statement. “This is a very special place.”