St. Edward’s University is happy to report that the Austin Energy Green Building (AEGB) program has awarded its 3-star rating certificates to the John Brooks Williams Natural Science Center-South and the UFCU Alumni Gym. These buildings serve as yet another example of the university’s commitment to sustainability and the environment.
Austin Energy Green Building (AEGB) Program
AEGB is widely regarded as the country’s first and most successful sustainable building certification program and has been awarding certificates to local commercial properties since 1995. The AEGB rating system awards 1-5 stars depending on the number of points that a project receives. The rating system includes a series of basic requirements and voluntary measures, and addresses seven major aspects of sustainable design and construction: 1) Integrated Design, 2) Site, 3) Energy, 4) Water, 5) Indoor Environmental Quality, 6) Materials & Resources, and 7) Education & Innovation.
Some may wonder what makes AEGB different from the national sustainable building certification system, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Both programs use a point system to award buildings that achieve certain standards, such as using sustainable materials, maximizing energy efficiency, and improving indoor air quality. However, AEGB goes beyond what LEED looks for by taking a more comprehensive approach and considering Austin’s environmental priorities.
The project teams for both buildings took this holistic approach through each step, from the design phase to the completion of the project. The decision to construct a sustainable building takes a large group of individuals, including the Board of Trustees, university staff and faculty, architects, contractors, and craftspeople. This group was dedicated to fitting these projects in with AEGB’s mission “to lead the transformation of the building industry to a sustainable future.”
As part of the required criteria to become 3-star certified the John Brooks Williams Natural Science Center-South and the UFCU Alumni Gym surpassed the Austin Energy Code’s air conditioning efficiency and interior light requirements by 12.5%. Additional criteria in each building include high efficiency plumbing fixtures, low volatile organic compound (VOC) interior paints, coatings, adhesives, and sealants, and having at least 50% of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste recycled and salvaged.
Below are details on how each building achieved the 3-star certification:
Site
The sites for both buildings are located in desired development areas with environmental sensitivity, and not in a green field or drinking water protected zone. They are venues for diverse, walkable communities that benefit from the buildings’ open spaces. Because of long periods of hot temperatures in Texas, these buildings were designed to perform an additional function of heat island reduction, which reduces summertime peak energy demand, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and other adverse effects. Their exterior grounds include paving materials with a high solar reflectance index of 29, which reduces heat transfer to these walkable surfaces. Architects also crafted a design that would protect and restore the natural habitat surrounding both buildings. Below are specific site considerations for each building:
John Brooks Williams Natural Science Center-South
- The building is oriented as such that the sun penetrates southern-facing windows in the winter to increase solar heat intake, while large overhangs and window screens limit solar radiation in the summer months.
- Landscaping uses native plants, such as pavonia, ruellia, liatris, winecups, lantana, copper canyon daisy and four-nerved daisy.
UFCU Alumni Gym
- Public transportation is available within 1/2 miles and access to bicycle use is present
- Implementing integrated pest management, which solves pest problems with as little environmental risks as possible
Energy
Both buildings were designed through energy modeling (the use of software to predict a building’s energy use over time) to save more than 12.5% in energy consumption in the UFCU Gym and 20% in the Science Center. In addition to that, both projects utilize district cooling, a method of distributing HVAC requirements to buildings through chilled water in a network of underground pipes and tying into an AEGB district cooling loop to save on initial and operational costs.
Water
Both buildings use innovative water quality controls to treat 100% of water quality. Below are more details on how each building further addressed water conservation:
John Brooks Williams Natural Science Center-South
- Water efficient multi-stream rotating sprinklers
- Two courtyard rain gardens to catch water during and after storms, slowing it down before reaching Blunn Creek to decrease flooding potential and extend water flow into the creek over an extended period of time. Of the very limited number of successful rain gardens in the Austin area, St. Edward’s has two of them in the same project.
- High efficiency plumbing fixtures to save 10% in water use
UFCU Alumni Gym
- Reduce the amount of water used in irrigation by 75%
- High efficiency plumbing fixtures installed to save 30% of water use
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
Both Buildings
- Monitor carbon dioxide and commissioning of CO2
- Minimize contamination of indoor pollutants
- Integrated daylighting systems with electric lighting systems and controls
- Views to the outside
- Reduce toxic pollution and waste in sealants, adhesives and flooring systems by using low-emitting materials
- Moisture prevention by using vapor barriers, drainage plane, and building pressurization
UFCU Alumni Gym
- Designated non-smoking areas, entry systems, and outdoor pollutant mitigation to avoid exposing building occupants to potentially hazardous sources
- Indoor air quality problems resulting from construction were avoided
Materials and Resources
To avoid excessive deforestation, both projects used at least 50% of new wood-based materials that are certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Below is more information on additional materials and resources that each building made use of in accordance with AEGB requirements.
John Brooks Williams Natural Science Center-South
- 94.5% of non-hazardous construction waste was recycled and/or salvaged
- 36.3% of the materials used were recycled ones and 57.9% used were Texas-sourced materials
- White TPO (Thermoplastic polyolefin) roofing was installed, which is properly insulated while the white color reflects solar radiation away from the building.
UFCU Alumni Gym
- 30% of the building materials were Texas-sourced
- PVC and phthalate-free flooring, roofing, and wall systems were put into place, cutting down on the use of plastic building materials
- The original building was not insulated, but 80% of the structure was reused while managing to leave room within the building envelope to install insulation. This weatherizes the building, which increases energy efficiency year-round.
Project Team
The building projects would not have been such successes without a dedicated group of individuals and organizations who worked tirelessly to ensure that each building met the standards of both AEGB and St. Edward’s University.
John Brooks Williams Natural Science Center-South
The project team for the Science Center Project was made up of 14 consultants, including STG Design, Moore Ruble Yudell Architects and Planners, Square One Consultants, Shah Smith & Associates, RVI Planning + Landscape Architecture, Sasaki Associates, Tom Groll Engineering, Datum Engineering, Jim Whitten Roof Consultants, Jaffeholden Acoustics, Jancom Technologies, HLB Lighting Design, Austin Permit Service, EEA Consulting Engineers. DPR Construction was hired as the team’s contractor.
UFCU Alumni Gym
The project team for UFCU Alumni Gymnasium Project was made up of 12 consultants, including Mell Lawrence Architects, Benz Resource Group, Shah Smith & Associates, RVI Planning + Landscape Architecture, Sasaki Associates, Urban Design Group, Tom Groll Engineering, Architectural Engineers Collaborative, Austin Permit Service, EEA Consulting Engineers, WJE Associates, and TexDraft, LLC. The team contractor was Bartlett Cocke General Contractors LLC.
The St. Edward’s Facilities Department collaborated with both teams to ensure that the projects went as smoothly as possible and were aligned with the university’s mission and standards. The university staff members who were heavily involved in the process are Michael W. Peterson, Associate Vice President of Facilities, and Dr. Schiller Liao, Facilities Project Manager.