It has beautiful exposed brick walls, complete with barn doors. It has extensive natural lighting, and trendy orange couches. The Gateway building is aesthetically pleasing, and has been my serene new study spot on campus ever since it opened its doors a month ago. But I would be remiss if I didn’t address the unique feature on everyone’s minds: the showers.
It seems out of place that an academic building would need showers. They aren’t attached to a laboratory, and nobody lives there. But they intend to signal something important about the space: the Gateway building is environmentally friendly.
LEED Certification is the name of the game for green building projects. It ensures that a new building is designed, built, and maintained as per certain standards. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and the protocol is outlined by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The process is handled by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), a third-party group that verifies compliance with the outlined regulations.
LEED Certification began in 1993, but nowadays the process is based on the parameters set in 2009. For a new building’s application to even go into review, the plans must show strict adherence to all environmental laws and regulations. Moving forward, the ranking of the building is based upon a credit weighting process, where a project can gain or lose points based on its features.
The credits draw reference from previous sustainable projects where the environmental and human impact of various criteria were weighted. The Credit Library details all of the ways a project can gain points. Some of them are more self-explanatory: up to 10 points are available for “Whole Project Water Use Reduction,” 1 point for “Clean Construction,” 1 point for “Verified Legal Wood Sources.” In practice, this could be implementing a rainwater management plan, or balancing the amount of diesel and non-diesel construction vehicles used on the site.
As for the credit on all of our minds here at Stevens? SSc 4.2 is less obviously connected to sustainability, but still a valid way to show commitment to a green lifestyle: “Alternative Transportation – Bicycle Storage and Changing Rooms.” The idea behind it is simple: if you make it more convenient to ride a bicycle to work or school without having to spend the entire day sweaty, more people will likely opt for this mode of transportation. Hence, the showers.
Along this line of thinking, many of the potential LEED credits come from a commitment to social sustainability. Up to 3 points are available for what the GBCI labels “social equity” within the supply chain, construction site, and the community at large. As per the credit description, the goal is to identify “members of your community who are chronically vulnerable or disadvantaged and to find ways within your project to address these inequities.” This could mean partnering with existing community service or advocacy organizations to engage underserved populations and to promote programming, local hiring, or financial compensation.
According to Marcus Caamano, the Facilities Project Manager, the Gateway complex is in the second stage of the LEED approval process. The project has already been submitted and received approval for their Design Credits, which are confidential until the project is completed in full. Now, the Construction Credits are in progress. Once all of the construction has been completed, these parameters will be reviewed by the GBCI, and they will respond with comments that need to be addressed. After several months, the building will finally be LEED certified.
At this point, a building can be ranked at different levels based on how many credit points it receives. The basic certification is 40-49 points, but a building can level up to Silver, Gold, or even Platinum, with above 80 points. Taipei 101 received its Platinum status in 2011, and it is the tallest building worldwide with this designation. The University of Texas at Dallas’ Student Service building was the first academic center to receive LEED Platinum back in 2010. Even the Empire State Building received its Gold status in 2011 following a $550 million rebuilding program.
All over the world, LEED certification shows a commitment to sustainable building. The next time you are studying in the Gateway building, take a moment to appreciate that Stevens is joining a long legacy of green construction. Maybe it will inspire you to ride your bike instead of taking a car one day. And if you do, boy, do I have a shower for you.
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