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IRVINE -- UC Irvine's new Student Center has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED rating system is a nationally recognized benchmark for the design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings. The 287,000-square-foot social hub at UCI is the state's first student center to receive LEED gold certification.
"This accomplishment not only exemplifies UCI's commitment to environmental stewardship but is a real tribute to the creativity and resourcefulness of our staff," said Wendell Brase, administrative & business services vice chancellor. "The new Student Center was originally designed to qualify for the basic LEED rating. At the onset, I don't think any of us expected the project to achieve such a high level of performance."
The expansion earned the gold certification by, among other things, exceeding energy performance requirements by 35 percent, diverting from landfills 83 percent of construction-generated waste, and incorporating plumbing fixtures that use 42 percent less water than conventional systems. For more information about the environmental features of the project, visit www.sustainability.uci.edu/StudentCenter.
UCI now boasts three LEED gold certifications for new construction, which ties it with four other U.S. campuses for the highest number at a single institution of higher education. The other LEED gold-certified projects at UCI are the Palo Verde Phase II student apartments (www.abs.uci.edu/leedflyer.pdf) and the Anteater Instruction & Research Building (www.sustainability.uci.edu/AnteaterIRflier.pdf).
About the University of California, Irvine: UCI is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,200 staff. The top employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $4.2 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.
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