As part of the LEED certification, the new design center will use: environmentally friendly building materials and construction methods; natural and controlled lighting by means of an internal patio which infuses light into all levels from an atrium; air-conditioning and electrical system which both save and recycle energy; and an irrigation system which utilizes only recycled water. Miki Livnat, Intel’s Environmental, Health, and Safety manager for the region stated, “The project team was passionate about building a green building, and despite initial skepticism, they drove this project from a concept to a reality.”

Why did it take so long to for Intel to get its first green building? Intel engineers have been evaluating “green” design standards and steadily incorporating green building concepts and practices into the construction of its buildings for years – but the LEED design criteria present a comprehensive set of design metrics that must be satisfied to receive certification. In an environment where construction costs are increasing and every dollar is carefully scrutinized, spending money on “certification” can easily fall to the bottom of the construction priority list. “When there is a clear ROI (return on investment) for integrating individual “green features” into our building design, it’s easier to make it part of the design specifications for all building”, said Intel’s Principle Engineer Ted Reichelt. Unfortunately, not all of the requirements associated with obtaining LEED certification, like the certification process itself, have an easily measurable ROI. Intel designed and constructed world-class energy efficient buildings that met the majority of requirements for LEED certification, but they were unable to overcome the internal resistance to the certification process and associated costs and obtain the LEED designation.

What changed? “Our construction managers started hearing more about other projects being LEED certified, and this created greater internal acceptance of the idea; additionally, the costs associated with the LEED certification started to fall,” said Reichelt. Intel hopes that the experience with the Hafia building will lead to other office buildings being LEED certified and eventually to Intel’s first LEED certified Fab.

The ARD building earned 60 points out of a possible 69 from the Leadership Energy and Environment Design building rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council. Only two other buildings in the world have earned at least 60 points.

The designation comes shortly after the university earned “Gold” ratings for buildings that house Engineering and The W.A. Franke College of Business.

The ARD building, which officially opened in September, also is the greenest building at such a high altitude. Flagstaff’s 7,000-foot elevation poses engineering challenges not found at lower elevations.

Specifically, NAU’s ratings require construction supplies that can accommodate northern Arizona’s “freeze and thaw” temperature variations and the intense ultraviolet light that can quickly damage materials.

NAU President John Haeger has said that future buildings on the NAU campus will be built to “green” standards.

“Stewardship of place is not a new concept for Northern Arizona University,” Haeger said. “Our Applied Research and Development building showcases our climate mitigation commitment and innovations in high-performance construction technology.”

Energy sources for the 59,821-square-foot ARD building on the university’s central campus include a photovoltaic solar power system donated by Arizona Public Service that provides at least 20 percent of its electricity. Automatic shade controls, venting windows and a “enthalpy wheel” regulate the building’s temperature. The design and automated systems result in an overall reduction of energy consumed by 60 percent compared to traditional buildings.

“The ARD building uses the natural environment to operate rather than carbon-producing energy sources like natural gas or coal-fire plants,” said Rich Bowen, NAU associate vice president for Economic Development. “Building green is good public policy, and high-performance environmentally responsible buildings have a greater return on investment than traditional buildings.”

Bowen said 90 percent of waste materials generated from the building’s construction made its way to recycling rather than landfills.

About 30 percent of the building’s supplies are from recycled materials, including thousands of pairs of denim jeans used for insulation. And 57 percent of the materials are from local producers or manufacturers. Wood used in the building was certified to be harvested from a renewable forest-management system, located in Arizona’s White Mountains.

The building’s design includes no volatile organic compounds in its paint or carpet. To help insulate the buildings temperatures, a “green roof” on the building’s conference unit will serve as a place to grow and maintain an indigenous vegetation cover requiring minimal irrigation. Plus, the ARD parking lot is the first installation in the state to use pervious concrete, allowing water to be captured in natural aquifers to be used for irrigation purposes.

Reclaimed water replaces potable water for landscaping use and flushing toilets, and water-efficient features such as low-pressure faucets and toilets reduce total water needs by 60 percent.

Natural light abounds through the open design and provides 75 percent of the lighting that includes an atrium area supporting collaboration among its occupants, including environmentally based organizations such as the U.S. Forest Service and NAU’s Center for Sustainable Environments.

The top floor of the three-story building will be home to NAU’s Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, a research facility focused on understanding the evolution, ecology and epidemiology of a number of disease-causing bacteria.

Designed by Burns, Wald-Hopkins Architects and built by Kitchell Construction, the ARD building cost $26 million to construct, however, “The price tag is only about 10 percent higher than non-environmentally friendly buildings; however the design principles developed and knowledge gained during the design and construction of ARD will allow NAU and others in the state to build high-performance buildings for much less in the future, and the energy-saving features will make up the cost difference in the long run,” Bowen said.

The building was awarded the 2007 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award from the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona.

On NAU’s south campus, the “Gold” business building incorporates “adaptive comfort” technology that relies heavily on natural ventilation for cooling. The actual floor is raised 18-inches above a concrete slab and at night, cold air is drawn into the building and circulated over the slabs. During the day, as air moves through the building, these slabs cool the air around them.

The building also uses natural lighting as much as possible to reduce energy costs. And water use in the building takes advantage of a reclaimed water system available through the city.

The nearby Engineering building was virtually rebuilt, with the intended target of achieving a LEED “Silver” rating. However, the use of reclaimed water for all facility landscaping reduced potable water consumption by more than 50 percent, and use of reclaimed water in waste conveyance decreased overall potable water consumption by more than 90 percent.
In addition, high-energy lighting and the increase in the number of exterior windows significantly lowered electrical use.

Those factors, among several others, earned a higher “Gold” rating for Engineering.

NAU worked with the architectural firm Carter & Burgess and contractor Ryan Construction on the business building. The architect for the engineering building was Smithgroup and the contractor was Holder Construction Co. Both buildings officially opened in spring 2006.

Mark Wilhelm, founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Arizona Chapter and green building expert, said NAU is a good example of a university “going green.”

“What sets NAU apart is that it is not just committed to building green, climate mitigation efforts and research are an important part of its curriculum, too,” Wilhelm said. “NAU is walking the walk in terms of being environmentally focused.”

LEED recognizes structures for meeting strict requirements for energy efficiency, material usage, renewable energy and locally developed materials. Only 19 percent of all certified LEED projects are designated “Gold,” Wilhelm said.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Before the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2011, the Arizona Diamondbacks and energy consultants plan to add more “green” to Chase Field than just its infield.

The team is working with Green Ideas Environmental Building Consultants in Phoenix to increase the energy efficiency of the 12-year-old sports arena. That effort could include lighting systems and bulbs consuming less electricity, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and programs reducing the amount of trash created during each event.

The strategies could include replacing food vendors’ plastic forks and spoons with biodegradable eating utensils made from cornstarch, says Charlie Popeck, Green Ideas president and co-founder.

“We’re just starting to formulate the strategy now,” Popeck says. “They (team officials) know they want to move forward. We’re just confirming that it can, in fact, be done.”

Chase Field is one of the largest customers of Arizona Public Service, which is offering advice to help the ball club achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. If successful, the ball park would become the first existing structure of its kind with the LEED status. Nationals Park in Washington D.C. became the nation’s first new stadium with LEED certification when it opened in 2008.

The Arizona team’s interest in environmental issues, announced in a press release, is long term. “Rather than enact a simple recycling program throughout the ballpark, we chose to develop a program to have Chase Field achieve the ultimate certification in green building to make sure we were covering all aspects of corporate sustainability and advocating to our fans how important is for them to become involved as well,” said Cullen Maxey, Diamondbacks senior vice president of business operations.

Green Ideas has helped more than 100 sustainable developments reduce their consumption of energy and water. Popeck says the company’s work with the city of Phoenix during the design and construction of the new Phoenix Convention Center led to a savings of 2.2 million kilowatt-hours and 43 percent of domestic water consumption, annually. Those numbers translate into the yearly electricity needs of 209 American households and a third of the water in Tempe Town Lake.

Popeck and Mark Wilhelm are founding principals of Green Ideas. They also served on the steering committee that in 2002 established the U.S. Green Building Council chapter in Arizona. It became the third such council in the United States.

Popeck is responsible for the company’s business development, marketing, educational programs and operations. He has worked as a carpenter, a licensed California general contractor and in management positions for several contractors, manufacturers and architectural firms. He also writes regularly for trade publications about green design, construction and operations management.

Wilhelm, prior to Green Ideas, was president of GreenBuilt Consulting, a national sustainable building consultancy serving the design, construction and energy industries. He worked for 13 years at Arizona Public Service Co. in marketing, customer service and sales leadership positions. Wilhelm also is the appointed chairman of the State of Arizona’s Solar Energy Advisory Council.

The third partner in Green Ideas is Terry Hudgins, an associate principal who specializes in land development, planning and zoning, and governmental affairs. He was involved in sustainable development projects for 23 years at APS, where he became manager of environmental, health and safety initiatives.

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