Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 53.85
Liaison Ruairi O'Mahony
Submission Date May 1, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Massachusetts Lowell
OP-4: Building Design and Construction

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.18 / 3.00 Jean Robinson
Director of Capital Projects
Facilities Project Management
"---" 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:

UMass Lowell uses U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

UMass Lowell's Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC) is Gold certified. University Suites, University Crossing and the Health & Social Sciences Building are in the process of being certified.


Total floor area of eligible building space (design and construction):
1,620,728 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) 86,288 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 0 Square feet
Mid-Level 0 Square feet
Highest Achievable Level 0 Square feet

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 0 Square feet
4th Highest Level 0 Square feet
Mid-Level 0 Square feet
2nd Highest Level 0 Square feet
Highest Achievable Level 0 Square feet

Floor area of building space certified Living under the Living Building Challenge:
0 Square feet

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

Floor area of building space that was designed and constructed in accordance with green building policies or guidelines but NOT certified:
1,534,440 Square feet

A copy of the guidelines or policies :
The date the guidelines or policies were adopted:
Feb. 22, 2011

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

Per Executive Order 484, new construction and major renovation projects over 20,000 SF managed by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) must meet Mass. “LEED Plus” building standards including: 1) U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification, 2) energy performance exceeding MA Energy Code by at least 20%, and 3) independent 3rd party commissioning. New construction and major renovation projects less than 20,000 SF shall meet at least one of the following: 1) adhere to MA LEED Plus, 2) surpass the MA Energy Code requirements by at least 20% or 3) follow prescriptive approach of New Building Institute’s Advanced Buildings Benchmark Tool.

Additionally, UMass Lowell has Sustainability Initiatives and Green Design Guidelines which are attached.

UMass Lowell's Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC) is Gold certified (86,288 SF). A total of 591,662 SF of space was reported as designed and built according to sustainable design and construction guidelines including: Leitch & Bourgeois, Fox Hall, the Health & Social Sciences Building, University Crossing and University Suites. Leitch & Bourgeois (124,928 SF) were designed to meet LEED silver but will not be formally certified.  Fox Hall (17,000 SF) was also constructed with LEED design features but is not certified. University Suites (148,000 SF), University Crossing (229,000 SF) and the Health & Social Sciences Building (72,734 SF) are in the process of obtaining LEED certification (counted as designed in accordance with guidelines because not yet certified).


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

UMass Lowell works with its architects and contractors to conduct design and construction projects in accordance with the University’s green building guidelines to the extent possible.


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:

The score for this credit is calculated based on the percentage of "total floor area of eligible building space" designed and built in accordance with formal sustainable design guidelines and/or LEED certified. Eligible building space is defined as the total floor area of all building space eligible for certification under a green building rating system. To be eligible for certification the space must meet "minimum program requirements" for new construction & major renovations, commercial interiors or core and shell. UMass Lowell has constructed/renovated over 2 million square feet (SF) of space in the past five years. Approximately 1.6 million of the 2 million SF constructed/renovated were related to large projects (including construction of two new garages). The remaining constructed/ renovated area is comprised of many smaller projects. Due to the number of small projects, it was not feasible to review each individual project to determine whether the space met the "minimum program requirements." For the purposes of STARS reporting, the total square feet constructed/renovated was therefore conservatively assumed to be "eligible" space. By assuming all of the space was eligible the resulting STARS score for this credit may be underestimated.
Leitch & Bourgeois were designed to meet LEED silver but will not be formally certified. Fox Hall was also constructed with LEED design features but is not certified. University Suites, University Crossing and the Health and Social Sciences building (HSSB) are going through the process to be LEED certified but are not yet certified.

Notes:
• Bourgeois (62,313 SF) includes 77% certified wood by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), low VOC paints, energy efficient lighting w/ occupancy sensors, low flow fixtures, high performance glazing and building envelope, condensing boilers, heat recovery and valance units.
• Leitch (62,313 SF) utilizes FCS wood, low VOC paints, energy efficient lighting w/occupancy sensors, reuse of existing buildings, low flow fixtures, new flooring with high recycled content.
• Fox Dining Hall (17,000 SF) utilizes low flow toilets and faucets, LED lighting, high efficiency kitchen equipment, low VOC materials, FSC certified wood table tops, recycled content in carpet, sustainable casework, a pulper to convert food/paper waste to compost.

The following lists information about certified buildings and green building design construction features for various UMass Lowell buildings

• Sustainability Initiatives: http://www.uml.edu/docs/LeadByExample-February132013-EnergyandSustainabilityInitiatives_tcm18-149026.pdf
• Manning Business School: http://www.uml.edu/News/press-releases/2014/BusinessBldg051614.aspx
• ETIC: http://www.uml.edu/News/stories/2011-12/ETICupdate.aspx
• University Suites: http://www.uml.edu/News/press-releases/2013/UniversitySuites091813.aspx
• University Crossing: http://www.uml.edu/News/news-articles/2014/sun-uxing-opens.aspx
• HSSB: http://www.uml.edu/News/press-releases/2013/HSSB-Opening.aspx


The score for this credit is calculated based on the percentage of "total floor area of eligible building space" designed and built in accordance with formal sustainable design guidelines and/or LEED certified. Eligible building space is defined as the total floor area of all building space eligible for certification under a green building rating system. To be eligible for certification the space must meet "minimum program requirements" for new construction & major renovations, commercial interiors or core and shell. UMass Lowell has constructed/renovated over 2 million square feet (SF) of space in the past five years. Approximately 1.6 million of the 2 million SF constructed/renovated were related to large projects (including construction of two new garages). The remaining constructed/ renovated area is comprised of many smaller projects. Due to the number of small projects, it was not feasible to review each individual project to determine whether the space met the "minimum program requirements." For the purposes of STARS reporting, the total square feet constructed/renovated was therefore conservatively assumed to be "eligible" space. By assuming all of the space was eligible the resulting STARS score for this credit may be underestimated.
Leitch & Bourgeois were designed to meet LEED silver but will not be formally certified. Fox Hall was also constructed with LEED design features but is not certified. University Suites, University Crossing and the Health and Social Sciences building (HSSB) are going through the process to be LEED certified but are not yet certified.

Notes:
• Bourgeois (62,313 SF) includes 77% certified wood by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), low VOC paints, energy efficient lighting w/ occupancy sensors, low flow fixtures, high performance glazing and building envelope, condensing boilers, heat recovery and valance units.
• Leitch (62,313 SF) utilizes FCS wood, low VOC paints, energy efficient lighting w/occupancy sensors, reuse of existing buildings, low flow fixtures, new flooring with high recycled content.
• Fox Dining Hall (17,000 SF) utilizes low flow toilets and faucets, LED lighting, high efficiency kitchen equipment, low VOC materials, FSC certified wood table tops, recycled content in carpet, sustainable casework, a pulper to convert food/paper waste to compost.

The following lists information about certified buildings and green building design construction features for various UMass Lowell buildings

• Sustainability Initiatives: http://www.uml.edu/docs/LeadByExample-February132013-EnergyandSustainabilityInitiatives_tcm18-149026.pdf
• Manning Business School: http://www.uml.edu/News/press-releases/2014/BusinessBldg051614.aspx
• ETIC: http://www.uml.edu/News/stories/2011-12/ETICupdate.aspx
• University Suites: http://www.uml.edu/News/press-releases/2013/UniversitySuites091813.aspx
• University Crossing: http://www.uml.edu/News/news-articles/2014/sun-uxing-opens.aspx
• HSSB: http://www.uml.edu/News/press-releases/2013/HSSB-Opening.aspx

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.