ASU Renovation receives LEED Gold certification

A disastrous fire has turned into gold, as the renovated Memorial Union at Arizona State University has just been awarded a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, for its environmentally sustainable construction. A fire in a second floor storage area in November 2007 caused extensive fire and smoke damage, shutting down the lower levels of the building for 60 days and the second and third floors until the following August. ASU decided after the unfortunate incident not to simply rebuild the damaged areas of the 54-year-old building but to meet or exceed the standards of quality and sustainability used in ASU’s newest buildings. The initial goal was to achieve a LEED Silver rating. LEED Gold certification highlights for the project include:
• The use of regional and recycled materials, including local sandstone and mesquite and reclaimed metal finishes, minimizes the project’s embodied energy and supports local industry. • Individual lighting control systems comprised of continuous dimming ballasts and environmental sensors combine to provide energy savings of 40-70% while reducing maintenance costs. • A comprehensive network of real-time monitoring and trending sensors communicates the building’s environmental variables (temperature, fresh air, humidity, alarm and fire) to the university’s central facilities, to maximize occupant comfort, energy efficiency and safety. • The use of special recessed lighting fixtures and efficient fixture layouts reduce the light power density by 25%, maximizing energy savings while resulting brighter, seemingly larger and more relaxing public spaces.
• 95% (1,128 tons) of construction waste was diverted from landfills and recycled. • Interior materials (stone and aluminum wall finishes, paints, adhesives, sealants, carpets, casework and systems furniture) containing zero volatile organic compounds provide improved air quality and durability. • Comprehensive recycling and green cleaning programs are used by the MU in day to day operations, to minimize ongoing environmental impacts.
• A portion of the ASU’s solar-generated power is dedicated to the MU.
• A viable and sustained public transportation network serves the facility. Other local firms that worked on the design of the project include Rudow + Berry Structural Engineers, Woodward Electrical Engineering, Convergent Technologies Audio Visual Engineers, ICDS Mechanical Plumbing and Fire Protection Engineers, R.J. Gahn Mechanical Plumbing and Fire Protection Engineers, Rolf Jensen & Associates, Inc., GrEn Consultants, Green Ideas LEED Certification Specialists and Roger Smith Lighting Design. For more information, visit www.asu.edu.