From: Acing the "Greening" Curve
TAMU Takes the LEED
At Texas A&M University (TAMU), the administration made a commitment to achieve a minimum of a LEED silver rating on all new construction. The school is currently in the planning stages for a new residence hall building, as well as the currently-under-construction student-family apartments.
However, the conventional stick-built family housing presents a special challenge for TAMU’s goal of LEED silver.
“This is a short-term, 25- to 30-year life project,” says Ron Sasse, director of residence life at TAMU. “With residence halls, it’s not as difficult because those are longer-term facilities, with a 60- to 80-year life that is more sustainable in terms of use.”
It is harder to get the full benefits of sustainable and energy savings in a shorter-term project than a long-life building.
The apartments will be wood-frame, three-story, garden-style. “We’re taking down six old apartments and replacing them with six new buildings,” he says.
When working with LEED certification, however, everything about the building process needs to be looked at with a sustainable point of view. “We’re looking at how to reclaim things [from the old buildings] and how to treat the site. We’re trying to get our points through how we put things together.
The reason for the short-term life of the apartments has to do with TAMU’s master plan. “The University is looking at this land for expansion, so there isn’t interest in a long-term project right now, like a residence hall, when the land will likely be used for something else,” explains Sasse.
One approach to make the apartments LEED silver is the products that will be used. “The appliances will all be Energy Star,” says Sasse, and the plumbing will include low-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads.
The placement of the buildings on the land is also important. “The way the buildings are designed are meant to capture maximum use of life,” he says. The goal is to make sure the products used, and the way they are used, are sustainable.
November-December 2009
From: Acing the "Greening" Curve
TAMU Takes the LEED
At Texas A&M University (TAMU), the administration made a commitment to achieve a minimum of a LEED silver rating on all new construction. The school is currently in the planning stages for a new residence hall building, as well as the currently-under-construction student-family apartments.
However, the conventional stick-built family housing presents a special challenge for TAMU’s goal of LEED silver.
“This is a short-term, 25- to 30-year life project,” says Ron Sasse, director of residence life at TAMU. “With residence halls, it’s not as difficult because those are longer-term facilities, with a 60- to 80-year life that is more sustainable in terms of use.”
It is harder to get the full benefits of sustainable and energy savings in a shorter-term project than a long-life building.
The apartments will be wood-frame, three-story, garden-style. “We’re taking down six old apartments and replacing them with six new buildings,” he says.
When working with LEED certification, however, everything about the building process needs to be looked at with a sustainable point of view. “We’re looking at how to reclaim things [from the old buildings] and how to treat the site. We’re trying to get our points through how we put things together.
The reason for the short-term life of the apartments has to do with TAMU’s master plan. “The University is looking at this land for expansion, so there isn’t interest in a long-term project right now, like a residence hall, when the land will likely be used for something else,” explains Sasse.
One approach to make the apartments LEED silver is the products that will be used. “The appliances will all be Energy Star,” says Sasse, and the plumbing will include low-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads.
The placement of the buildings on the land is also important. “The way the buildings are designed are meant to capture maximum use of life,” he says. The goal is to make sure the products used, and the way they are used, are sustainable.