e d u

PLATINUMAN ECONOMIC SILVER LINING

THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT AT THE UND GORECKI ALUMNI CENTER

RESPONSIBILITYBUILDING

BUILD

ING

RESPON

SIBILITY

We live in a world of change. New technologies and innovations are constantly pushing us to be faster, cheaper and more efficient. And yet our buildings lag behind - using 30% of the planet’s raw natural resources, producing 40% of greenhouse gas emis-sions and solid waste, consuming 40% of our available energy, and costing approxi-mately $54 billion to operate annually.

With a focused effort to implement green building strategies, we could not only reduce the use of natural resources, it could save us millions – and potentially billions – of dollars every year.

The University of North Dakota Gorecki Alumni Center is proof that this can be done – the Gorecki Center is using 40% less energy and 38% less water than a traditional building of its size, while providing a healthier and more productive work environ-ment for its occupants. And the cost savings? Tens of thousands of dollars annually.

These measures have also earned the Alumni Center a LEED Platinum Certification, the highest possible rating from the US Green Building Council – putting it in the top 3% of all LEED projects in the country and making it the first building in North Dakota to achieve this honor.

ENERG

Y REDU

CT

ION

SOLAR SHADES REDUCE ENERGY

BY SCREENING THE SUMMER SUN AND

ALLOWING WINTER SUN TO HEAT THE

BUILDING

4,486SQ FT

USE OF WHITE ROOF LOWERS ROOFING

TEMPERATURE BY 15 DEGREES

LOWER ENERGY CONSUMPTION

RESULTS IN A 14% REDUCTION IN CO2 EMISSIONS

14%REDUCED CO2

SOLAR

14%PHOTOVOLTAIC

SOLAR PANELS PRODUCE 14% OF

THE BUILDINGS ENERGY

PHOTOCELLS

15°LOWERING

The Gorecki Alumni Center was designed to reduce energy use by 32% compared to other similar buildings, and actually outper-formed its initial projections 8% in its first year – saving 40%, or $38,075, a year.

Over 60% of the Gorecki Alum-ni Center’s exterior features high performance glass with adjust-able shades, which bring natural daylight into even the basement spaces and greatly decrease the need for artificial light. An in-novative, highly-efficient HVAC system works in tandem with an geothermal system to regulate temperatures and reduce heating and cooling costs. Over 200 roof-top photovoltaic solar panels are outperforming projections by 8% above original estimates.

REDUCTIONENERGY

NAT

ION

AL

BEN

CH

MA

RK S

TAN

DA

RD =

1,1

70,4

14 k

Wh

AC

TU

AL

USA

GE

= 7

02,2

49kW

h (4

0% S

AVIN

GS)

UND GORECKI ALUMNI CENTERENERGY USAGE

UND Gorecki Alumni Center

Standard Building

ENERGY USAGE PER YEAR COMPARED TO STANDARD BUILDINGS

SAVING40%

WAT

ER CO

NSERVAT

ION

90% OF RAINFALL IS PREVENTED FROM

BECOMING POLLUTED RUNOFF THROUGH THE STORMWATER

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

CITY WATER USE IS LOWERED BY 35% THROUGH

NON-PERMANENT IRRIGATION

THE NEED FOR 48,260 GALLONS OF POTABLE

WATER A YEAR IS REDUCED THROUGH

WATER SAVING BUILDING METHODS

288,296 GALLONS OF CITY WATER PER

YEAR IS ELIMINATED THROUGH LANDSCAPE

NATIVE & ADAPTIVE PLANTINGS

90%

35%

48,260

288,296SAVING

REDUCING

ELIMINATING

CAPTURED

200,000 GAL.

150,000 GAL.

100,000 GAL.

50,000 GAL.

= 1

66,8

50 G

AL/Y

EAR

= 1

03,5

00 G

AL/Y

EAR

NAT

ION

AL

BEN

CH

MA

RK S

TAN

DA

RD

AC

TU

AL

USA

GE

UND GORECKI ALUMNI CENTERWATER CONSUMPTION

The Gorecki Alumni Center uses 38% less water than a traditional building of its size - 63,350 fewer gallons of potable water a year than a standard building.

Inside, aerators and sensors on faucets and low-flow toilets reduce water use. Outside, an extensive stormwater management system surrounding the building retains rainwater and runoff, reducing the amount of pollutants entering the water table and keeping the Center from drawing from city water sys-tems - saving 288,296 gallons of water a year. The system filters and cleans stormwater before it seeps back into the natural environment for irrigation.

CONSERVATIONWATER

UND Gorecki Alumni Center

Standard Building

MORE WATERPER YEAR THAN STANDARD BUILDINGS

REDUCING38%

LIMIT

ING

LAN

D U

SE

PERMEABLE PAVING STRIPS IN THE PARKING LOT REDUCE RUNOFF

5X MORE THAN AN IMPERVIOUS SURFACE

REDUCING

ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION IS

PROMOTED BY LOCATING THE CENTER NEAR 261

DAILY BUS STOPS

ENCOURAGING

BY REDUCING PARKING STALLS BY

15%, CONSTRUCTION COSTS WERE

REDUCED BY $30,000

$30,000

261

5X

SAVING

THE GORECKI ALUMNI CENTER’S FOOTPRINT

WAS REDUCED BY 33% BY CREATING A

COMPACT PLAN

REDUCED33%

The Gorecki Alumni Center’s footprint was reduced by 33% by creating a compact plan with efficient circulation while still keeping all of the programmed space, thus saving short-term construction and long-term operational costs. The smaller footprint allowed for 10,000 square feet of additional outdoor green space.

REFLECTS HEAT FROM THE SUN

PREVENTS HEAT FROM

ENTERING THE BUILDING

USES EARTH TO REGULATE

TEMPERATURE

WHITE ROOF SOLAR SHADES GEOTHERMAL

7,000,000 BTUs lessPER YEAR

16,000,000 BTUs lessPER YEAR

800,000,000 BTUs lessPER YEAR

LAND USELIMITING

IMPRO

VING

HEA

LTH

PRODUCTIVITY15%

AIR QUALITY IS IMPROVED BY 100%

THROUGH OPTIMIZED MECHANICAL &

VENTILATION SYSTEMS

100%IMPROVED

CONSTRUCTION AIR POLLUTION THROUGH AGGRESSIVE CLEANING

PRACTICES AND DUST STABILIZATION

IMPROVING INDOOR AIR QUALITY

& INCREASING DAYLIGHTING HELPS

INCREASE EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY BY 15%

REDUCING

EYE STRAIN BY CONTROLLING

GLARE & REDUCING OVERHEATING WITH MANUAL

ROLLER SHADES

LIMITING

One of the main goals of the UND Gorecki Alumni Center was to provide a healthier and more productive work-ing environment for the staff. The Center brings in 25% more outside air than other comparable buildings while using 60% less energy to heat the air – air that is cleaner, too. The mechanical filters used at the Alumni Center are 100% more efficient than those in a standard building, and air quality is continuously monitored through the use of carbon dioxide sensors, which automatically adjust air volume and flow when Co2 levels rise.

HEALTHIMPROVING

Paint Dust, Carpet Fibers, Dust Mites

Pudding Mix, Snuff, Powdered Mild

Dusting Aids, Cement Dust

0 1-4 5 6 6-7 8 9-10 10-11 12-14

Hair Spray, Fabric Protector

Mold Spores

Welding Fumes, Coal Dust

Lead Dust, Milled Flour

Insecticide, Smoke, Copier Toner

MERV Rating

Effic

ienc

y in

%

80-90

60-70

50-60

40-50

25-30

20-30

<20

0

Air Cleanliness Ratings The Gorecki Alumni Center fea-tures high-performance glass on its exterior walls, allowing in natural light while reducing heat and glare. Glass office walls give 97% of the spaces views to the outdoors – even those in the basement. More than half of the building’s occupants also control their own thermostat to customize comfort.

Statistics show that employee pro-ductivity increased and sick days decreased by improving indoor air quality, increasing daylight and controlling temperatures. Even a 1% rise in productivity can save the equivalent of a year’s utility bill. Productivity at the Gorecki Alumni Center is estimated to have been increased up to 15%.

StandardBuilding

UND Gorecki Alumni Center

REUSIN

G &

RECYC

LING

ON SITE CONSTRUCTION

RECYCLING DIVERTED 72.6 TONS OF

CONSTRUCTION WASTE FROM

LANDFILLS

72.6DIVERTED

THROUGH RECYCLING AND MATERIAL PURCHASING,

CONSTRUCTION WASTE WAS REDUCED

92X WHAT AN AVERAGE AMERICAN GENERATES IN A YEAR

THE GORECKI ALUMNI CENTER

REDUCED CONSTRUCTION

WASTE BY 98.12%

92X

98.12%

REDUCED

ELIMINATED

BY RECYCLING RATHER THAN DISPOSING, CONSTRUCTION

WASTE COSTS WERE REDUCED BY 51%

51%SAVING

The construction industry constitutes about 2/3 of all non-industrial solid waste in the US, or 254 million tons. Approximately 32.5% of the solid waste generated each year in the US is recycled or composted, while 12.5 percent is burned and the remaining 55 percent is buried in landfills.

The Gorecki Alumni Center reduced waste by 98.12%, deferring nearly 73 tons from North Dakota landfills. By recycling rather than disposing, construction waste costs were reduced by 51% - 92x what the average American generates in a year. The Center is also linked with UND’s building monitoring systems, and a display shows how much waste is being recycled every day by occupants.

RECYCLINGREUSING &

AD

DIT

ION

AL IN

NO

VATIO

NS

GEOTHERMAL HEATING & COOLING A ground source geothermal system below the parking lot is used to move heat from one area of the building to another and to take advantage of the Earth’s mass as a heat sink. This results in a significant reduction in energy consumption and a more economical operation over the lifetime of a building.

ON-SITE RESOURCE RE-USE Is it possible to lessen the impact of new construction by utilizing on-site resources? At the Alumni Center, trees were harvested and reused as finished millwork in the building.

MEASUREMENT AND VERIFICATION Measuring and verifying our performance against design projections is an important component of understanding how we move forward. You can check out the real-time energy, water and resource usage of the UND Alumni Center online at: http://buildingdashboard.com/clients/und/gorecki.

COMMISSIONING The ability to look at a building’s performance over one-year windows gives owners the opportunity to fine-tune its resource usage. For every $1 invested in commissioning, the Gorecki Alumni Center is saving $4 in operation costs.

INNOVATIONSADDITIONAL 12.8 MILES OF PIPING CREATE A

GEOTHERMAL WELLFIELD BELOW

THE BUILDING’S PARKING LOT

12.8

30HARVESTED FROM

THE SITE PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION

WERE SAVED, KILN-DRIED, AND

REUSED WITHIN THE ALUMNI CENTER

$1 SPENT ON COMMISSIONING

SAVES $4 IN OPERATING COSTS

WE MEASURE OUR RESULTS EVERY DAY

-GO TO: HTTP://BUILDING DASH-BOARD.COM/CLI-

ENTS/UND/GORECKI

TREES

SAVINGS

MILES

MEASURING

4

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a program of the US Green Building Council which provides common ground for what “sustainable” and “efficient” mean in regards to different building types in varying climates. LEED is a point-based system which assigns a certification level to evaluated buildings based on the degree of efficiency, savings and overall building performance achieved. These levels are certified, silver, gold and platinum.

The UND Gorecki Alumni Center is the first building in North Dakota to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the highest possible ranking by the US Green Building Council. It is in the top 3% of all LEED buildings in the country, and is the only LEED Platinum alumni center.