Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.48
Liaison Heather Albert-Knopp
Submission Date March 30, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

College of the Atlantic
OP-4: Building Design and Construction

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.25 / 3.00 Andrea Russell
Sustainability Coordinator and Community Energy Center Program Manager
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"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total floor area of newly constructed or renovated building space (include projects completed within the previous five years) :
13,500 Square feet

Floor area of newly constructed or renovated building space certified Living under the Living Building Challenge:
0 Square feet

Floor area of newly constructed or renovated building space certified at each level under a rating system for design and construction used by an Established Green Building Council (GBC) :
Certified Floor Area
LEED BD+C Platinum or at the highest achievable level under another rating system 0 Square feet
LEED BD+C Gold or at the 2nd highest level under another 4- or 5-tier GBC rating system 0 Square feet
Certified at mid-level under a 3- or 5-tier GBC rating system for design and construction (e.g. BREEAM, CASBEE, DGNB, Green Star) 0 Square feet
LEED BD+C Silver or at a step above minimum level under another 4- or 5-tier GBC rating system 0 Square feet
LEED BD+C Certified or certified at minimum level under another GBC rating system 0 Square feet

Floor area of newly constructed or renovated building space certified under a non-GBC rating system for design and construction (e.g. Green Globes NC, Certified Passive House):
0 Square feet

Percentage of newly constructed or renovated building space certified under a green building rating system for design and construction:
0

A brief description of the green building rating system(s) used and/or a list of certified buildings and ratings:
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Floor area of newly constructed or renovated building space that is NOT certified, but that was designed and constructed in accordance with published green building guidelines and policies:
13,500 Square feet

A copy of the green building guidelines or policies :
The green building guidelines or policies:

Campus Committee for Sustainability (CCS) recognizes that any growth or new building construction could potentially put College of the Atlantic even further from its long-term environmental and climate commitments, including those towards energy and waste reduction. In order for COA to create a more holistically sustainable campus, it is imperative that the College adopt a policy for new building spaces that is consistent with its other sustainability commitments and initiatives.

The Sustainable Building Policy formalizes and codifies COA’s commitment to sustainable design for all new building spaces on its campuses. This policy addresses a wide range of areas in sustainability, including energy use, discarded resource management, water use, and the selection of building materials, through outlining minimum standards that must be achieved through the design and operation of all new building spaces.

The standards stated in this policy are intended to inform Campus Planning and Building Committee (CPBC), the Buildings and Grounds Committee, and the College as they develop goals for future building projects and work with each project’s architect and general contractor to ensure the sustainability of any new building space and documentation of efforts towards sustainability made during the design and construction process. These standards apply only to the design and long term operational life of the new building space, and not to the construction period . Separate standards for sustainable construction based on the Kathryn W. Davis Residence Village project have already been developed by CPBC.This policy does not replace the existing process for setting goals on new building spaces, but rather it supplements the process with standards that must continually be met for each new project.

In this policy, a “new building space” refers to any renovation or addition made to an existing building or to the construction of any new building or structure unless otherwise specified in this document. The standards stated in this policy apply to any new building space on any COA-owned property that will either have a heating, ventilation, or air-conditioning system, connection to electricity, access to water supply, and/or the capacity to generate discarded resources.

The implementation of these standards should maintain or increase the quality of life for those who utilize, occupy, and/or maintain the new building space.

Standards

Energy Use
Passive solar potential must be evaluated when determining the design and orientation of a new building space.
All heating systems installed in a new building space must be powered by carbon-neutral fuels.
All electricity use within a new building space must be either offset directly with on-site renewable energy or with green purchased power & renewable energy certificates.
Total energy use (heating & electricity) of new building spaces (excluding renovations) must meet or exceed 30% reduction of the most current ASHRAE building standards.
Real-time energy use monitoring systems must be present for any new building space.
Appropriate locations for the potential installation of clotheslines must be identified adjacent to any new residential building space.
Discarded Resource Recovery and Management
New building spaces must incorporate a design that encourages zero-waste practices.
Receptacles for recycling and reuse of materials, including organic material (compost), must be incorporated throughout the new building space.
Isolated waste receptacles throughout the new building space must be minimized. Whenever possible, each waste receptacle must be accompanied by a full suite of recycling and reuse receptacles.
Design of the new building space must facilitate the placement of easily accessible, clear, and consistent signage for all locations with discarded resource receptacles.

All new building spaces (excluding renovations) must include infrastructure to enable easy handling and removal of discarded resources to appropriate processing locations. Renovations whenever possible should improve such existing infrastructure.f. Restroom facilities within new building spaces must incorporate human manure recycling systems such as composting toilets whenever possible.

Water Use
New building spaces must incorporate design for greywater and non-toxic rainwater collection systems whenever possible.
Water meters must be installed for all new building spaces to monitor hot and cold water use.
All water fixtures installed in a new building space must conform to the most current EPA WaterSense specifications.
Building Materials
Recycled, reused, and locally sourced/manufactured (within a 500 mile radius) materials, as well as certified rapidly renewable, sustainably-harvested, non-toxic, and low-emission building materials must be considered before the purchase and use of any new materials in the construction of a new building space.
Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and/or documentation of sources and environmental and social impacts of building materials used in the construction of a new building space must be provided whenever possible.
The use of high-embodied energy materials throughout the construction of a new building space must be avoided whenever possible.


Do the green building guidelines or policies cover the following?:
Yes or No
Impacts on the surrounding site (e.g. guidelines to reuse previously developed land, protect environmentally sensitive areas, and otherwise minimize site impacts) Yes
Energy consumption (e.g. policies requiring a minimum level of energy efficiency for buildings and their systems) Yes
Building-level energy metering Yes
Use of environmentally preferable materials (e.g. guidelines to minimize the life cycle impacts associated with building materials) Yes
Indoor environmental quality (i.e. guidelines to protect the health and comfort of building occupants) Yes
Water consumption (e.g. requiring minimum standards of efficiency for indoor and outdoor water use) Yes
Building-level water metering Yes

A brief description of the green building guidelines or policies and/or a list or sample of buildings covered:

In May 2015, College of the Atlantic formally adopted a sustainable building policy with specific guidelines for both new and renovated constructed space. COA had been following similar green building principles for many years, using specific criteria for each individual project. This sustainable building policy applies to all new building spaces and includes special consideration for the renovation of existing buildings.

The sustainable building policy includes specific criteria for the following categories: energy use and sources; discarded resource recovery and management; water usage; and building materials (including life-cycle assessment). The policy applies to any new building space on any COA-owned property that will have either a heating, ventilation, or air-conditioning system, a connection to electricity, access to water supply, and/or the capacity to generate discarded resources.


A brief description of how the institution ensures compliance with green building design and construction guidelines and policies:

Building design and construction is done using an integrated design team approach, bringing the architect, construction companies and energy efficiency experts around the same table at the same time to ensure that projects come together in the most efficient and effective way possible. We have a Campus Planning and Building Committee that oversees all construction on campus. This committee includes people with backgrounds in building, architecture, and energy efficiency. Several interested students serve on the committee at any given time. The committee ensures that new construction and renovation of older buildings meet the highest energy efficiency standards possible, local materials are used when available, and materials from demolition are re-purposed when practical. The committee is the 'institutional memory' for energy efficient construction. It keeps detailed notes of all of their meetings on these subjects, which are shared with the broader community at weekly All College Meetings.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

In spring 2015, College of the Atlantic had energy audits performed for all on-campus buildings and for auxiliary buildings associated with the college's off-site farms. These energy audits provided the College with valuable baseline data and will help us prioritize efficiency renovations for buildings most in need. This goes hand-in-hand with our sustainable building policy, and will further reduce our heating costs as we strive to achieve freedom from fossil fuels.


In spring 2015, College of the Atlantic had energy audits performed for all on-campus buildings and for auxiliary buildings associated with the college's off-site farms. These energy audits provided the College with valuable baseline data and will help us prioritize efficiency renovations for buildings most in need. This goes hand-in-hand with our sustainable building policy, and will further reduce our heating costs as we strive to achieve freedom from fossil fuels.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.