Campuses develop a relationship with the phenomenon of sustainability from many different directions; some are driven at the grassroots level, often by the enthusiasm of a student population, others from presidential commitments, and others still yet by legislative mandate.

The product of that relationship comes in any many forms, often influenced by the original source of the campuses inspiration. Some possible results are: creating an internal, self-certification system for capital improvements; committing to a 3rd party verified certification program for buildings (most often a minimum threshold of LEED certification); creating process, performance, or prescriptive campus guidelines; or participating in campus-wide sustainability programs such as STARS. This short session will touch briefly on the major metrics available through the US Green Building Council and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Evaluate what it means to be sustainable in the Southwest region of the United States.
2. Analyze what processes, such as design and operational, translate to achieving sustainability.
3. Discuss what methods are used for staying focused on sustainability, along with the intersections between good design and being sustainable.
4. Lessons learned in the steps taken at a state, system, and campus level.

Truly high performing, sustainable buildings are achieved through an integrated design process. This requires the deliberate interweaving of building and community systems, materials, and site strategies so that they work together as a synergistic whole. Context, form, massing, and exposure to climatic forces all provide opportunities and affect the energy performance of buildings—both resource supply and demand. Consequently, ideas, options, and alternatives will be considered on both a whole-building and whole-neighborhood (eco-district) basis. Rather than simply additive—layering on additional technologies—an integrated approach tends toward the "reductive" (or optimized,) where every system and component serves multiple purposes so that the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. This approach is iterative and highly collaborative, recognizing there are key moments during design where all disciplines and stakeholders – the university, users, architects, engineers and construction team – need input from one another to make a better, more environmentally responsive building. 

Using the Sandia National Laboratories as a case study, the team will discuss how they have used Strategic Sustainability Planning and LEED in both new construction and their operations and maintenance, to achieve sustainability as an outcome. Specific projects on the campus to be highlighted include:

• The Microsystems Fabrication (Microfab) facility, 100,000 square feet—provides cleanrooms for both semiconductor and gallium-arsenide microsystem components; LEED Certified
• Microsystems Laboratory (Microlab), 130,000 square feet—contains chemical, electrical, and laser labs for researchers and engineers developing microsystem components; LEED Silver
• Weapons Integration Facility, 170,000 square feet—contains both classified and unclassified areas to foster collaboration between Sandia microsystem designers and external partners; LEED Silver

At UC Boulder, the Office of Campus Resource Conservation is charged to evaluate and implement economically feasible technological breakthroughs and solutions to reduce the campus’ environmental footprint. The Resource Conservation Office promotes and implements "best in class" sustainable capital construction practices, as well as the most effective behavioral conservation measures. This oversight approach has resulted in the campus being considered among the top in the nation in regards to its energy conservation focus and environmental stewardship. Colorado’s "Greening of the State Government" mandate has become the near term goal in support of the larger goals of carbon neutrality and the chancellor's pledge to the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. The group has implemented several processes and measures, including large scale energy conservation measures, the use of large scale renewable energy power generation sources, and breakthrough technologies campus wide.

Lunch is included within the price of registration.

The team will reconvene and will be joined with additional panelists offering campus or system specific information and lessons learned. Panelists will include: Joseph Collins, ZGF; Tom Kennedy, California State University; Bill Kitso, Sandia National Laboratories; Jack Mizner, Sandia National Laboratories; and Moe Tabrizi, UC Boulder.

• What does it mean to be sustainable in the West or Southwest?
• What is the best common definition of sustainability or is there one?
• What processes (design, operational, etc.) translate to achieving that as an outcome?
• What methods are best for staying focused on that outcome? Do certifications matter, do they help to focus or do they distract? 
• Where are the intersections between good design and sustainability?
• What are the next steps? At a state level? At a system level? At a campus level?

The University of New Mexico has embarked on a series of renovation and historic preservation projects to upgrade its facilities and to achieve LEED certification during that process. Many of the buildings on campus were designed by John Gaw Meem, Architect, in the New Mexico Pueblo Revival Style. The university has done its best to ensure that both new buildings and these historic landmarks are able to handle the demands of modern infrastructure. UNM has also focused on creating more research space and has turned an old commercial building into a new lithography teaching and production facility. Buildings to be toured include The Student Union Building, the Zimmerman Library, Scholes Hall Administration Building, the Science and Math Learning Center, Mitchell Hall, Castetter Complex, George Pearl Hall, and the Tamarind Institute.

Here is a map (PDF) of the tour.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify ways in which commercial buildings can be converted to academic use and increase their sustainability.
2. Design renovations that achieve LEED silver or gold ratings within the parameters of historic architecture.
3. Merge modern code and infrastructure requirements with historic preservation in iconic campus buildings. 
4. Discover the advantages of creating a sustainability standard via LEED for an entire campus.

Join attendees at the reception for networking and appetizers.