Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 76.45
Liaison Ryan Ihrke
Submission Date Oct. 17, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Green Mountain College
OP-4: Building Design and Construction

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.71 / 3.00 Lucas Brown
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have any building space certified under the following green building rating systems for new construction and major renovations?:
Yes or No
LEED or another 4-tier rating system used by an Established Green Building Council (GBC) Yes
The DGNB system, Green Star, or another 3-tier GBC rating system No
BREEAM, CASBEE, or another 5-tier GBC rating system No
The Living Building Challenge No
Other non-GBC rating systems (e.g. BOMA BESt, Green Globes) No

A brief description of the green building rating system(s) used and/or a list of certified buildings and ratings:

Sage Hall--LEED Gold (2010), Olwen Solar Garage-- built in accordance with REED's green building guidelines (2012), and OVaL shed-- built in accordance with REED's green building guidelines (2011).


Total floor area of eligible building space (design and construction):
16,476 Square feet

Floor area of building space that is certified at each level under a 4-tier rating system for new construction and major renovations used by an Established Green Building Council::
Certified Floor Area
Minimum Level (e.g. LEED Certified) 0 Square feet
3rd Highest Level (e.g. LEED Silver) 0 Square feet
2nd Highest Level (e.g. LEED Gold) 12,200 Square feet
Highest Achievable Level (e.g. LEED Platinum) 0 Square feet

Floor area of building space that is certified at each level under a 3-tier rating system for new construction and major renovations used by an Established Green Building Council::
Certified Floor Area
Minimum Level ---
Mid-Level ---
Highest Achievable Level ---

Floor area of building space that is certified at each level under a 5-tier rating system for new construction and major renovations used by an Established Green Building Council::
Certified Floor Area
Minimum Level ---
4th Highest Level ---
Mid-Level ---
2nd Highest Level ---
Highest Achievable Level ---

Floor area of building space certified Living under the Living Building Challenge:
---

Floor area of building space that is certified at any level under other green building rating systems for new construction and major renovations:
---

Floor area of building space that was designed and constructed in accordance with green building policies or guidelines but NOT certified:
676 Square feet

A copy of the guidelines or policies :
The date the guidelines or policies were adopted:
Sept. 1, 2011

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

Olwen Solar Garage (2012)
- Use the sun for all heating and electricity needs
- Create a building that supports the use of electric vehicles in cold climates
- In order of importance, use materials that are: reclaimed, recycled, locally sourced (local wood, slate, etc.), support local businesses
- Apply integrated design practices
- Greenhouse that heats the building while also growing food for the farm
- Roof that provides shelter, produces electricity, and has the capacity to collect water
- Use of low embodied energy and non-toxic materials
- Dense pack cellulose insulation
- Wood siding
- Wood interior sheathing
- No-VOC paints
- Sustainability education
- Use of the building as an educational tool through: a student led design and construction process, a learning tool in GMC courses (QEA), and through field trips from local schools

OVaL shed (2011)
- Integrated Design
- Roof that collects water and provides shelter
- Walls that provide shelter, daylight, and the ability to germinate seeds
- Open building system that allows for long term flexibility based on user needs
- Design for dissassembly allows the building to be broken down into small parts and moved with a small vehicle
- In order of importance, use materials that are: reclaimed, recycled, locally sourced (local wood, slate, etc.), support local businesses
- The building is intended to support small-scale urban growers. It is currently being used to support the native plant nursery.


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

For the LEED building, the College worked closely with LEED professionals to ensure compliance and the facilities director worked closely with all sub-contractors. For the non-LEED buildings, the College built the buildings themselves with the leadership of Renewable Energy and Ecological Design Professor, Lucas Brown, and other professionals, such as professional solar installer Khanti Munro of Positive Energy, master electrician Glenn LaPlante, and many others so that they could ensure high quality and compliance with the guidelines.


The website URL where information about the institution’s certified buildings and/or green building design and construction guidelines or policies is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

More information about the OVaL shed can be found here:
http://inhabitat.com/occupy-vacant-lots-project-constructs-a-pre-fab-shed-for-urban-gardeners/oval-shed-project-6/

More information about the Olwen Solar Garage can be found here:
https://reedgmc.jux.com/

More information on LEED-Gold Sage Hall can be found here:
http://www.greenmtn.edu/news_events/new_releases/sage-hall-.aspx or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB55PmMUCLk

Total eligible square footage includes Sage, OVaL, Olwen, and Bentley (eligible referring to undergoing a major renovation within the last five years).


More information about the OVaL shed can be found here:
http://inhabitat.com/occupy-vacant-lots-project-constructs-a-pre-fab-shed-for-urban-gardeners/oval-shed-project-6/

More information about the Olwen Solar Garage can be found here:
https://reedgmc.jux.com/

More information on LEED-Gold Sage Hall can be found here:
http://www.greenmtn.edu/news_events/new_releases/sage-hall-.aspx or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB55PmMUCLk

Total eligible square footage includes Sage, OVaL, Olwen, and Bentley (eligible referring to undergoing a major renovation within the last five years).

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