Classroom Building II Achieves LEED® Gold Certification

April 10, 2015

Utilities & Energy Services is proud to announce that, on June 4th 2015, Classroom Building II achieved LEED® Gold certification under the LEED-NC v2009 rating system, established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).

Occupied in August 2013, the 79998sqft classroom building provides seven lecture halls, ranging from 110 to 450 seats, as well as houses the UCF ROTC program, including a military history library, cutting edge virtual battle lab, and offices. Located in the heart of the UCF Main Campus, the building is situated between the existing Classroom Building I and the Psychology buildings, and adjacent to the University’s Memory Mall. The Mall is a frequent spot for student functions, varying from casual studying to more formal tent events to tailgating during UCF sporting events – therefore the building is in a visually prominent site on the UCF Campus.

Besides the distinguished location on campus, this state of the art building takes advantage of many energy reduction and sustainability features to show-case the University’s commitment to its Climate Action Plan, including, but not limited to:

• Awarded exemplary performance credit for public transportation access by having six bus stops within 1/4 mile walking distance, supporting over quadruple the transit service requirements.
• Exemplary performance was also awarded for exceeding open space requirements by declaring 1.681 acres of land, twice the building footprint, as conservation which has never been developed and cannot be developed in the future.
• Follows Green Housekeeping plan including, using low/no VOC cleaning products, providing and maintaining hand sanitation stations, collect occupant feedback, and incorporate continuous improvements to technologies, procedures, and processes.
• Incorporates materials to reduce Heat Island Effect by providing 59% of hardscape spaces with materials with an average solar reflectance index (SRI) of 38.4, and achieving a weighted coverage of 128% reflective roofing materials.
• Includes 296sqft of recycle area in accessible locations in effort to continue to make recycling a convenient part of the UCF student/faculty culture.
• Low flow fixtures and a dual pipe system reduce water use by 33%.
• Uses reclaimed water and efficient landscaping design to reduce potable water use by 95.45% and total water use by 37.65%.
• Potable water use for sewage conveyance reduced by 138%.
• 27.11% energy cost savings compared to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 requirements.
• 35% building energy offset by green power renewable energy certificates (RECs) for two years.
• Exceeds requirements to control the quantity and quality of storm water runoff.
• 100% of work spaces have individual lighting controls.
• Providing thermal comfort in spaces per ASHRAE 55-2004 standard.
• None of the adhesives, sealant, paint, coating, or flooring products exceed volatile organic compound (VOC) requirements.
• 91.07% of construction waste diverted from landfill.
• 11.93% recycled content used in construction, by value.
• 11.71% regional content used in construction, by value.

The University of Central Florida is committed to sustainable growth, and has mandated that design teams target at least LEED Silver Certification on all new construction projects, however, the university is continually striving to exceed that goal.

Classroom Building II is the 15th UCF project certified under the USGBC LEED green building program, and the 11th achieving Gold level certification.

For more information on LEED or USGBC more information, visit http://www.usgbc.org.