University of New Hampshire
OP-3: Building Design and Construction

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The University of New Hampshire Planning, Design and Construction Guidelines provide general instructions to designers in the planning and preparation of construction documents, as well as general guidance to construction professionals working on projects for the University. The purpose is to ensure a minimum standard of quality, durability, consistency, maintainability, and sustainability in building and infrastructure design and construction.

The University of New Hampshire has made a commitment to achieve the equivalent of “LEED” silver for new construction and major renovations, including the formal commissioning of each new project. The University Planning, Design and Construction Guidelines incorporate the University’s strategies, standards, and methodology to fulfill this commitment.

Here is the language from Chapter 3, Section 1, about this LEED-equivalent UNH policy:
"Sustainable design is the only option for entities like the University of New Hampshire, where there is a campus that builds and renovates facilities that won’t be sold off, that will need to be operated and maintained efficiently for a very long time, within a larger setting that needs to be
safe, healthful, sensitive to the environment, and attractive. Enduring, Efficient, Effective, Adaptable, Engaging and Meaningful are the sustainable design principles that must guide every project. For the University of New Hampshire, this is overlaid by our culture of New England frugality, using every resource to its greatest extent, looking for the best long-term
value, and being cautious with building experiments that may not hold up over the long life of a building.

While we do not require projects to seek LEED certification, every University project is expected to reflect these guidelines that will result in a completed project that is equivalent to at least the LEED silver standard. The effort to accomplish this will start early in project planning and continue through the completion of construction documents. During construction, it is expected that the general contractor/construction manager/design builder will provide some form of verification to the University to show compliance with the intent of the construction documents
for things like construction waste recycling, regional origination of materials, certification of wood, etc. Building commissioning, comparable to LEED Fundamental Commissioning, is required of ALL projects, regardless of their size.

There are several reasons the University has chosen a LEED equivalent process rather than a formal LEED certification process for all major projects. LEED is a useful tool for us, however, by its very nature it wants to be applied across a very wide spectrum of building types
(commercial, developer, public, and institutional). By doing this, it doesn’t always align with the University’s sustainable design values. For example our highest priority is durability, and LEED currently doesn’t have any means to evaluate this for us. So, while achieving a LEED certified
gold or platinum project is noteworthy, it doesn’t indicate how well we have achieved our fundamental sustainable design goal of durability. Also, the LEED scoring system assigns points to some project attributes that don’t make a substantive difference as viewed through our
sustainability values and Northern New England climate considerations, and some have a cost that is hard for us to otherwise justify. Compliance with these guidelines does not preclude the University from deciding to seek formal LEED certification on selected projects.
Equivalency means that project planning, design and construction must be conducted in a manner that takes into account impacts to the surrounding environment and the site; accessibility and transportation impact; material choices and resource use; energy and water benchmarking and efficiency; and occupant health, productivity and well-being. New buildings and systems must be designed and constructed in a manner that minimizes site impact with a
preference to repurpose previously developed sites, follows the University’s precepts of Transportation Demand Management, utilizes environmentally preferable materials, facilitates integration into UNH’s existing energy- and water-benchmarking systems, minimizes water and energy use, and protects indoor air quality."