CSB gets gold star

UCVM’s Clinical Skills Building has formally received its LEED Gold accreditation.

LEED ratings (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) are an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Getting gold accreditation is quite an achievement for CSB given that the LEED system was developed for standard office buildings, and not an 80,000 square foot clinical teaching facility with specialized spaces for animal handling, pathology, anatomy labs and special classrooms.

CSB features include:

• A highly efficient building envelope with large windows that allow extensive natural light, but are positioned to minimize heating effects and reduce air conditioning costs.
• An air handling system that enables extensive air exchange for animal and human comfort and safety, but it incorporates heat exchanges, local controls, and energy efficient boilers.
• A water management system recycles storm water and treated animal wastewater for non-potable uses as well as low flow fixtures through the building.

 CSB also received marks for having space for bicycle storage and special car pool parking, building materials that reduce the heat island effect and lighting that reduces light pollution. Overall, CSB received a score of 47/52+.

The $65 million state of the art building was completed in the summer of 2009.

LEED is a third-party certification program that gives building owners and operators the tools to make an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.