Page 58 - College Planning & Management, July/August 2018

The Sustainable Campus TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS
Living and Learning Green
Can a university campus reach net zero by 2025?
BY TOMMY ZAKRZEWSKI, PH.D., BEMP, CEM, CMVP, LEED-AP BD+C O+M
A L EADER AND INNOVATOR, the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) commits to a sus- tainable future through the planning and enforcement
of a Climate Action Plan (CAP). UC San Diego has made significant progress in areas such as academics and research, energy and cli- mate, sustainable operations, environmentally preferable procure- ment, waste diversion, clean transportation, and water conserva- tion. With the development and enforcement of a CAP with specific goals and timelines developed from operational baseline data, the campus is on a trajectory to meet its many ambitious sustainabil- ity goals; namely, to be climate neutral by 2025.
A New Project
This all-inclusive transformational plan also supports many state and regional climate change objectives. At the building-scale, the CAP is integrated within new university project developments such as North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood (NTPLLN) to support climate neutrality. Modelled after traditional mixed-use urban forms, NTPLLN will be an interdisciplinary education envi- ronment that blends academic, residential, commercial, and cultural programming that attempts to reduce the impact of the built envi- ronment for current and future generations prominently positioned at the centre of the UC San Diego campus. Clark Construction Group will work in partnership with HKS and Safdie Rabines Architects to design and construct the vibrant 1.5-million-square-foot community (includes housing for 2,000 students within seven mixed-use build- ings) which will be the new home for UC San Diego’s Sixth College, as well as the university’s Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities departments.
Supported by several performance frameworks including LEED, Parksmart, CALGreen, and the AIA 2030 Commitment, the inte- grated sustainability features target carbon-neutral operations by embracing initiatives that will measurably reduce energy consump- tion, water use, and waste that will ensure for more sustainable operations to meet the future needs of UC San Diego administration, faculty, and students. Designed for LEED v3 Platinum certification, the campus takes full advantage of the local micro-climate to deliver improved environmental quality and better occupant comfort within indoor and outdoor space at multiple levels. Active and pas- sive integrated sustainable features include a modular micro-aerobic digester, a photovoltaic system to power the parking structure, and operable windows that provide natural ventilation.
To advance campus efforts towards carbon neutrality the
NTPLLN Design Build Team integrated an on-site modular micro- anaerobic digester. The anaerobic digester provides on-site genera- tion of electrical energy from organic food waste and materials while producing valuable enrichened liquid fertilizer for commu- nity gardens. This diverts waste from the landfill and eliminates the emissions generated from offsite trucking. The anaerobic digester acts as a closed-loop system where the conversion of or- ganics into fuel and nutrients promotes the concept of community- based, farm-to-table-and-back-to-farm life cycle.
Setting Goals for LEED and More
Referencing the chancellor’s vision for the university and goals identified in the 2008 UC San Diego CAP, in collaboration with UCSD staff, Clark and HKS facilitated a multidisciplinary im- mersion course that utilized NTPLLN as a living example of how LEED’s comprehensive approach to the built environment can sub- stantially improve environmental outcomes at various scales. The pilot course adopts the framework of LEED Lab, designed specifi- cally for LEED for Building Operations and Maintenance (LEED O+M), but in the context of LEED Building Design and Construc- tion (LEED BD+C) both in theory and application. Students were given the opportunity to connect and engage with professionals who are designing and delivering NTPLLN by reviewing prereq- uisites and credits related to site considerations, energy use, water consumption, waste management, and occupant comfort. They also learned how to evaluate a project’s impact on the surrounding land and ecosystem. The desired outcome of the LEED Living Lab pilot course was to use the built environment to broaden the view for students so that they can mature into sustainability-focused citizens and become leaders in their fields of studies.
Enforcing climate action plans are particularly important for the state of California where aggressive greenhouse gas reductions are demanded and are setting the pace for the nation. The desired outcome is to improve public health and air quality, conserve water, efficiently use existing resources, and increase clean energy production, thereby improving the quality of life. The University of California, San Diego is leading by enhancing the overall health of the campus community with their transformative living and learningneighborhood. CPM
Tommy Zakrzewski, Ph.D., BEMP, CEM, CMVP, LEED-AP BD+C O+M, is director of Integrative Energy Engineering for HKS (www.hksinc.com).
58 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / JULY/AUGUST 2018
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