UALR's initiative to target LEED certification on all of it's new buildings on campus

29 August 2011 / News / Comments Off

"In the LEED" is called this month profile article in the Inviting Arkansas magazine. UALR's Andrijana Vukovich and Viridian's April Ambrose tell us about the new Center for Integrative Bio-Nanotechnology Services on the expanding campus.

Many believe that constructing an eco-friendly building is a risky, and sometimes expensive, venture. But according to April Ambrose, a senior project manager for Viridian, a sustainability and energy services consulting firm, this idea of gambling green for green is a common misconception. "Studies have shown that the costs of green buildings are not substantially higher than regular development projects," Aprils says. "Higher construction cost can generally be avoided by the inclusion of green design from the beginning of the project."

This as advice that the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has taken to heart. Andrijana Vukovich, director of planning and capital construction, says that the campus is hoping for each of its buildings to receive LEED certification, including the now under construction Nanotechnology building, among others. "Going green is important to UALR because we want to reduce waste, create less pollution and use less energy in order to have a better environment," Andrijana says.

UALR recently received LEED Gold Certification for their Engineering and Information Technology Building. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system. "The LEED rating system provides the building industry with consistent, credible standards for what constitutes a green building and has become the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings," April explains. For the Nanotechnology building, UALR teamed up with Viridian to build a state-of-the-art facility with an expected completion in November 2011 and LEED certification completion next spring.

April believes that the benefits to green building are more than just environmental. "Benefits to LEED certification include adding competitive advantage by reducing operation costs, improving social image by taking responsibility for their effect on their local and global community and by creating a healthier and more productive place for employees to work. Businesses that don't do these things will be left behind by those that are."

For business owners who are new to green building, April recommends hiring a consultant that can create an integrated design team and help contact third-party providers of green products. To make green updates to existing buildings, she says to conduct an energy audit or consult with a sustainability consultant to review existing bills and patterns. "Remember, you can't manage what you don't measure," Aprils says.
Meanwhile, UALR will continue to push forward with their green building initiatives as well as other green projects on campus, including a recycling program that has increased by 50% in the last two years. "We are the education leader in our community and the state capital of Arkansas," Andrijana says. "We strive to set an example for our community, our educational colleagues and our future leaders."

To read the full article click here.

Story was written by Rosemary Hallmark and Rett Peek took the pictures at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus.