UT Receives Gold and Silver LEED Certification for New Buildings

The University of Tampa recently received LEED® Gold certification from U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its Science Annex, and LEED Silver certification for its Dickey Health and Wellness Center. Both buildings, which are located on the UT campus, are new and were opened in Fall 2010.

The buildings are UT’s first structures built in accordance with the rigorous standards set by USGBC’s LEED green building certification program.

"I am extremely pleased that our new buildings have received Gold and Silver certification," said UT President Ronald Vaughn. "The University is committed to providing healthy, safe and efficient buildings for all students, faculty and staff, and continually seeks innovative ways to conserve natural resources and lessen its impact on the environment.”

All UT project team members for both buildings were required to participate in meetings that focused on project “green” goals and strategies, and outlined higher levels of cleanliness and accountability for all subcontractors during construction.

“The University of Tampa’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and UT serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish.”

The UT Class of 2010 helped ensured that the Dickey Health and Wellness Center would receive LEED certification through senior gift committee funding. The senior gift helped UT retain the local firm REAL Building Group to monitor design and construction processes at the site. According to Rick Ogorek, vice president of administration and finance, their efforts helped confirm that the necessary documentation of the plans, materials and construction were in place so that UT’s filing for LEED certification was easily prepared.

“We felt that the University could partner with the Class of 2010 in creating the legacy of a LEED certified student service facility on the campus,” Ogorek said.

SCIENCE ANNEX

The two-story, 8,000-square-foot Science Annex features several distinct, state-of-the-art spaces: an organic chemistry laboratory, a chemistry research laboratory and offices on the second floor; a biology research laboratory on the first floor; and, faculty offices and a 35-seat general use classroom also on the first floor. It opened in August 2010. Highlights from the LEED certification include that it:

Performs 27 percent more efficiently than a similar, typically built building according to LEED standards.
Provides a preferred parking space for occupants driving low-emission and fuel-efficient vehicles.
Requires 50 percent less potable water for landscape irrigation through limiting turf grass and using Florida-friendly and drought-tolerant plants.
Incorporates regional materials that were extracted and manufactured within 500 miles of the project site.

The architect for the Science Annex was Harvard Jolly Architecture, and the construction manager was Crossroads Construction.

DICKEY HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER

The two-story, 10,300-square-foot center includes eight exam rooms, a triage area, pharmacy, offices and space for individual and group counseling. The entire second floor is dedicated to wellness activities and programming. It opened in November 2010. Highlights from the LEED certification include that it:

Performs 19 percent more efficiently than a typically built building according to LEED standards.
Utilizes paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, composite woods and flooring materials that contain a low volatile organic compound (VOC) make up.
Uses 40 percent less water than a similar building by using water-saving toilets and low-flow fixtures.
Incorporates many materials that contain high volumes of recycled content, including metals used for structural elements and drywall that is more than 95 percent recycled content.

The architect and contractor for the project was the Beck Group.