Campus Connection

[caption id="attachment_20064" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="Centennial Hall is 189,000-square-foot academic building with 44 classrooms and two auditoriums. Photo by Mark Fei."][/caption] UW-La Crosse’s new residence hall and academic building have both received prestigious national awards for their sustainable and energy-efficient designs. Eagle Hall and Centennial Hall opened in fall 2011 and recently received LEED® Gold certification. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a national green building certification system. It provides third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at increasing performance, reducing waste and improving quality of life. Sustainable strategies are incorporated in energy use, lighting, water and material use and more. “We take great pride in our emphasis on sustainability, so it’s wonderful to see our efforts acknowledged by such a prestigious organization," says UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow. By using less energy and water, LEED certified buildings save UW-L students and taxpayers money; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment. The certification was established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). “The green building movement offers an unprecedented opportunity to respond to the most-important challenges of our time, including global climate change, dependence on non-sustainable and expensive sources of energy and threats to human health,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president and chief executive officer of U.S. Green Building Council. “The work of innovative building projects such as these two UW-L buildings are a fundamental driving force in the green building movement.” [caption id="attachment_20075" align="alignright" width="550" caption="Eagle Hall is a 212,000-square-foot, 500-bed residence hall."][/caption] LEED certification was based on a number of green design and construction features. For instance, Centennial Hall’s student-funded solar water heater reduces energy needs and Eagle Hall’s low-flow shower heads reduce water consumption. Other sustainable features of both buildings include, but are not limited to:

• Rain gardens allow storm water to soak into the ground and reduce erosion, flooding and water pollution

• Design incorporates natural light to reduce energy needs

• White rooftops reduce the “heat island” effect. Heat islands are areas of higher temperature caused by buildings, pavement and other infrastructure that can increase summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution and more.

• Pollution is controlled during construction and through construction waste recycling

• Construction materials are used with high-recycled content, which are regionally made

• Ample bicycle parking is available outside the facility and bus lines are within .25 miles of the project site.

About LEED The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED green building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. There are four levels of LEED Certification – Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Over 100,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED rating systems, comprising over 8 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 114 countries. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org. Tell us what you think! As part of the certification process and to maintain thermal comfort in Centennial Hall, UW-L Facilities Planning and Management requests that the campus community completes an anonymous survey measuring satisfaction with temperature, humidity and air flow. To complete the five-to 10-minute survey go to Centennial Hall Thermal Comfort Survey. The survey will be closed Tuesday, Feb. 19. Survey results will be posted online shortly after the survey closure date. For more information, contact Dan Sweetman at 785.6800 or dsweetman@uwlax.edu. Other Centennial Hall Honors

• 2011 Department of State Facilities Best Project Award (March 2012)

• Downtown Mainstreet 2012 Making a Difference Award (September 2012)

Watch a video of Centennial Hall construction time lapse. *LEED and the related logo is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and is used with permission.