The New 160,000-Sq.-Ft. Green Building for The Evergreen State College is One of Many Educational Projects Being Built by DPR in the Pacific Northwest

DPR advances efforts in environmentally friendly construction as it teams up with The Evergreen State College and Mahlum Architects to deliver a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified project.

The first new academic facility to be built in more than 25 years on the 4,100-student, woodsy campus located in Olympia, WA, the new 160,000-sq.-ft. Seminar II project includes five clusters of classroom buildings and two complementing structures that consist of lecture halls, faculty office space and a café, as well as support spaces with walkways, a Public Service Center and a Part-Time Studies building.

On the outside, Seminar II will resemble the other existing buildings on campus with concrete exteriors. On the inside, however, the new complex incorporates the latest in “green,” including recycled and locally produced materials, minimal finishes, such as paint, carpet or sheet rock, and building products generally free of volatile organic compounds that can impact indoor air quality. Additional elements, adding points to the LEED-certification scoring, include natural ventilation throughout approximately half of the facility, which will help reduce overall fuel consumption and increase energy efficiency, and greenery on more than 40 percent of the rooftop to reduce excess storm-water drainage.

According to Michel George, The Evergreen State College’s Director of Facilities, the goal to utilize these and other sustainable, environmentally friendly building principles was initially established during the pre-design phase to enhance long-term energy conservation, create opportunities for the new complex to serve as a learning tool for green building projects, and further integrate ecology into the culture of the school.

“As an owner, The Evergreen State College is extremely environmentally sensitive and committed to creating a green campus. Achieving LEED certification requires a high level of diligence on the part of all the team members,” said Ken Schmidt, project engineer for DPR. “Lessons learned from previous LEED projects are being implemented at The Evergreen State College site, allowing the team to improve upon past processes and set a higher standard.”

Recently completing projects for Clackamas Community College’s Wilsonville campus and the University of Oregon, DPR is also building a LEED-certified campus housing project, totaling 80,000 sq. ft., for Lewis & Clark University in Portland. According to Schmidt, information on alternative materials and applications captured from the Lewis & Clark project provided the Evergreen team with a wealth of data prior to construction start.

“At DPR, we encourage collaboration and sharing of information,” said Schmidt. “We take every opportunity to discuss various elements of the project, such as green building or safety, with the entire project team and beyond, to come up with new ideas and approaches for building better.”

For example, one of the biggest challenges on LEED projects is that a majority of the subcontractor community is unaware of LEED requirements and detailed documentation demands. Therefore, DPR works closely with subcontractors to provide as much education and training as possible on special green building requirements during the construction process.

Finding the right materials for a LEED project, such as Seminar II at The Evergreen State College, can also pose a challenge, especially if the project is designed before the general contractor is chosen.

“If at all possible, we like to be on board early in the planning stage to provide input on material selections during the design process and help verify the availability and suitability of materials with subcontractors prior to final design,” said Schmidt. “By participating upfront, we can confirm that designated materials will be available on time, as well as suggest alternative materials, which meet all of the same environmental requirements and can add LEED points to the project.”

DPR’s recycle program also figures into LEED scoring. Projects receive one point if a minimum of 50 percent is recycled and two points if the contractor recycles 75 percent. Schmidt added that DPR is aiming for 85 percent on Seminar II and sometimes hits 90 percent based on the location of the project. For Evergreen, DPR’s site-waste management plan calls for varied material, such as wood, gypsum and steel, to be separated onsite into different dumpsters and sent to recycling plants.

“Depending upon the local recycling rates, it’s often more cost effective to recycle than throw away debris, and recycled materials can save anywhere from 15 to 50 percent on the construction-waste management budget,” said Schmidt.

From recycling to sustainable materials to design applications, The Evergreen State College’s project team puts the latest green building practices to work, hoping to take the LEED in environmentally sound design and construction with Seminar II as they race for a November 2003 completion.