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NSHE Spreading Green Around Nevada Campuses
In recent years, the Nevada System of Higher Education has begun integrating
“green building” technology and design into construction plans for
its institutions’ campuses. Green buildings are those designed to minimize
environmental impact by protecting indoor air quality, by being energy
efficient, and by conserving water. Through integration of natural resources,
human health, and community concerns into building design and construction,
buildings can be created that are cleaner, use fewer resources, and are
healthier for occupants and the environment.
While the planning and construction costs of a green building, more properly
known as a sustainable building, were previously higher than ordinary
construction, according to John Amend, director of facilities planning for
NSHE, those costs have steadily reduced over recent years. “Initial
construction premiums are reducing to the point where sustainable design is not
significantly more costly than current standards.”
Construction of NSHE’s first sustainable building, the Morse Arberry, Jr.
Telecommunication Building at the Community College of Southern Nevada,
illustrates the environmental benefits and financial savings that can be
achieved through careful planning. The $15.8-million project, which opened on
August 30, 2003, finished below its guaranteed maximum price by nearly
$100,000.
Current buildings under construction and design that incorporate sustainable
technology include the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s Science
Engineering and Technology Building and the University of Nevada, Reno’s
Knowledge Center.
The Nevada System of Higher Education is one among scores of other leading
universities to adopt green building standards into their campus master plans.
Although environmental protection and financial savings are excellent
motivations for this change, NSHE is joining a growing movement toward energy
efficient buildings. During its August 2004 meeting, the Board of Regents was
urged to draft a building policy that would adhere to the U.S. Green Building
Council’s voluntary rating system, known as
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDTM
), by the UNR student organization
Students and Educators for Environmental Development and Sustainability
(SEEDS). A special session of the 2005 Legislature also approved Assembly Bill
3, which adopted LEED standards for the construction and renovation of all
future state-funded building projects.
An increasing number of studies support the idea that green building is good
for business. The benefits include cost savings from reduced energy, water, and
waste; lower operations and maintenance costs; and enhanced occupant
productivity and health. Overall, through these plans to construct sustainable
buildings within the system, NSHE continues to adopt progressive and innovative
ideas to protect the environment and be fiscally responsible with tax-payer
dollars.
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