Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.66
Liaison Marianella Franklin
Submission Date Sept. 20, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
OP-4: Building Design and Construction

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.03 / 3.00 Marta Salinas-Hovar
Asst Dir Project Planning and Management
Facilities Management
"---" 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) :
256,386 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 7,702 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:
3.00

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

UTRGV abides by the UT System Sustainability Policy (UTS169). The Facilities Management department has a series of preventative maintenance (PM) schedules that are intended to focus on preserving the facilities at an optimal operating condition.
The PM schedules consist of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, and annual activities performed on equipment and building systems. These schedules are managed by a “computerized maintenance
management system” (CMMS) that is known as WTMA (Web-based Maintenance Authority). These maintenance schedules not only assure that a building is operating effectively but also enable the equipment to run efficiently. For several years now, it has been our practice to incorporate the industry’s “best practices” into our everyday activities in order to maintain a respectable level of compliance with the university’s sustainability commitment.
Some sustainable practices are also related to operating campus buildings in “occupied and un-occupied” modes which allows for energy conservation efforts. Other practices include re-lamping to more efficient lighting (LED lighting and occupancy sensors) and replacing water fixtures with water saving devices.


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:
199,661 Square feet

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

UT system guidelines --- Policy: UTS169, Sec. 12: High Performance Buildings. Each institution will strive to achieve a high performance building comparable to a U.S.
Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (“LEED®”) Certified rating or higher whenever possible, excluding laboratory and acute care and patient care facilities, within the constraints of program needs and budget parameters. U. T. System recognizes and commends the early leadership and accomplishments of LEED® as a green building certification program; however, that certification currently comes with a significant cost in documentation. Therefore, U. T. System strives for a high-performance building standard comparable to LEED® for new major capital projects. Money for certification documentation is better spent obtaining more energy efficient building systems.


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:

ESTAC (Student Academic Center) - 44,392 sqft
New Science Bldg.- approx. 112,862 GSF
Performing Arts Complex buildings:
EPACA - 66,906 sqft
EPACB- 24,365 sqft
EPACC- 11,274 sqft
CIP projects must meet the code requirements of the following standards. The engineering group maintains knowledge of the current code requirements, translates those requirements into owners design guidelines and checks for compliance during design reviews. (ref: Owner’s Design Guidelines Appendix C for the current editions of the Codes and Standards in effect for OFPC.)


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

The two engineering staff groups, Building Envelope and Building Systems, collaborate to achieve functional excellence through program and process improvements, defining the most appropriate building systems and achieving economies of scale. The Building Envelope Group provides project support for the structural, building enclosure (roofing, waterproofing, cladding), civil site, and landscaping design of a facility. The Building Systems Group provides project support to the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and system controls design of a facility.
The engineering staff develops and maintains technical design guidelines for OFPC and institution use for the project program requirements. Technical construction support is provided when requested by OFPC field personnel. Consultation and participation in special institution studies, are provided upon request by the institution.
The Construction Services group assists in monitoring of the building commissioning process and the project safety program. Monitoring of the commissioning process occurs during the initial design, construction and acceptance project phases. Coordinating and monitoring of the project safety program is accomplished through routine site visits, safety performance statistic analysis and development of
contractor requirements. UTRGV complies with The Standard Specification Sections is controlled by the Office of Facilities Planning and Construction, The University of Texas System. It is to be used as guideline on all UT System building design. Additionally, The UT System Office of Facilities Planning and Construction (OFPC) ensures compliance with building design best practices and construction guidelines by performing the following:
• Best practices for project delivery
• Campus infrastructure evaluation assistance
•Campus master planning support
•Capital improvement planning
•Contract management
•Contractor bonding and insurance reviews
•Design and construction legal, mediation, litigation and claims counsel
• Engineering subject matter expert review of design documents and construction quality
• Enterprise program management
• Facilitate development of owner’s project requirements
•Facilitate establishment of the “Basis of Design”
•Forensic studies
• Historical costs and schedule modeling for various building types & geographical areas
• Independent safety inspections
• Independent statewide storm water pollution prevention plan inspections
• In–house project delivery training
• Online building codes access
• Permanent University Fund and tuition revenue bond assistance and coordination
•Post–occupancy support
•Professional and technical process training
• Program and project control
•Project accounting and audit
•Project safety inspections
• Real property acquisitions analysis
• Standing technical services provider contracts
•State energy code review
• Standard design guidelines, uniform general conditions and front-end specifications
• Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board assistance and coordination
• Warranty support


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:

The institution’s building design and construction works toward the sustainable development goal of innovation and infrastructure by building resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation.


The institution’s building design and construction works toward the sustainable development goal of innovation and infrastructure by building resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation.

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.