The new Sciences Building has been awarded LEED Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council, becoming the eighth building on The University of Texas at Dallas campus to earn LEED certification.
The Sciences Building joins the Engineering and Computer Science West building, the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center and the Bioengineering and Sciences Building as the only structures on campus to achieve Gold recognition. UT Dallas’ Student Services Building earned Platinum certification, the highest LEED certification, in 2010. Silver certifications were awarded to three other structures — the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building, Naveen Jindal School of Management Addition, and the complex composed of Residence Hall West, Dining Hall West and Recreation Center West.
The new 186,000-square-foot Sciences Building opened in July and houses the Department of Physics, classrooms, offices, and teaching and research labs. The building features 150-seat and 300-seat lecture halls and an open courtyard with green space and seating areas. The L-shaped design will allow passersby to see science in action as they pass seven research labs on the ground floor.
Dr. Bruce Novak, professor of chemistry, holder of the Francis S. and Maurine G. Johnson Chair and former dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, advocated for the new building.
“Much to our delight, through the diligent and creative work by the architectural firm Stantec, the general contractor Linbeck and our Facilities Management team, we identified ranking opportunities in several areas that allowed us to secure LEED Gold. This accomplishment directly speaks to the University’s commitment to environmental sustainability that will extend long into the future.”
Dr. Bruce Novak, holder of the Francis S. and Maurine G. Johnson Chair who advocated for the Sciences Building
Novak said the planning team initially thought a LEED Silver ranking might be attainable, given the building’s budget and the wide-ranging LEED ranking tiers, which include everything from construction materials, smart windows, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning parameters to the number of bike racks installed, collection of rainwater and recycling of construction debris.
“Much to our delight, through the diligent and creative work by the architectural firm Stantec, the general contractor Linbeck and our Facilities Management team, we identified ranking opportunities in several areas that allowed us to secure LEED Gold. This accomplishment directly speaks to the University’s commitment to environmental sustainability that will extend long into the future,” Novak said.
As the world’s premier credentialing system for sustainable construction, LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, recognizes environmentally conscious construction around the globe. Projects are reviewed for their commitment to sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality and cutting-edge design.
The Sciences Building was designed to incorporate regionally sourced materials and technology that significantly reduce water consumption. Energy-efficient equipment and lighting reduced energy use, and about 75% of demolition and construction waste was diverted from landfills through recycling. Nearly a quarter of the building materials were made of recycled content, including concrete, steel, framing, drywall and flooring.
“The Sciences Building is the eighth LEED certified building at UT Dallas in the last decade and brings our LEED-certified square footage on campus to nearly 1.3 million. The University’s commitment to sustainability in the midst of our tremendous physical growth has been a point of pride for our entire campus community,” said Gary Cocke, UT Dallas sustainability director.
Stantec, an architectural, engineering and planning firm, created the vision of connecting engineering enterprise and research.
“Achieving LEED Gold for the Sciences Building was an incredible team effort by the Stantec design team, the contractor and UT Dallas. We are proud to provide a high-performing, sustainable and beautiful building on campus for UT Dallas students, professors and researchers,” said Amy Holzle, an architect at Stantec and the building’s senior project manager.