Kristen Leach

English 134

Professor Marx

3/17/08

LEED The Way To Green

Sustainability is sweeping across college campuses nationwide. With enrollment increasing at unprecedented rates, colleges are challenged with the task of expanding their walls, while minimizing their carbon footprint. many universities are building more efficient dorms, which conserve both energy and the environment. Cal Poly is stressing the importance of sustainable building by constructing its own sustainable student housing, Poly Canyon Village. To Cal Poly, sustainability is “…balancing environmental responsiveness, resource efficiency and cultural and community sensitivity” (Building for Sustainability).

Poly Canyon Village is a prominent development located at the northeast corner of Cal Poly at the base of Poly Canyon and covers approximately thirty acres. The complex consists of nine buildings with 618 apartment units capable of housing 2,700 students. Study rooms, a swimming pool, conference rooms, and recreation center will accompany the apartments within the complex. Situated between the apartments is a large courtyard, which will eventually contain food vendors such as Jamba Juice, Einstein Bros Bagels, and Peet’s Coffee & Tea as well as the university’s own Village Market. Two large parking structures with the capacity of 1900 parking spaces will accompany the apartments (Poly Canyon Village). Half of the apartment buildings are expected to be ready for occupancy in Fall 2008. The remaining buildings will be completed by Fall 2009. With final touches being applied the finished product is easily envisaged. This village is currently the largest building project on the Cal Poly campus.

When you walk back to Poly Canyon Village you see an enormous urban development at the base of rolling hills. The large buildings and parking garages command attention because of their modern design and isolated location. The towering five story buildings seem to dominate over the smaller, more traditional dorms surrounding the campus core.

Before this project was named Poly Canyon Village, it was known as Student Housing North. In 2004, the designs for Student Housing North, the largest student-housing complex in the nation, were unveiled. However, the original plans for the additional housing excluded any type of sustainable building methods. Instead, the only purpose of this housing complex was to substantially increase the number of students living in the learning community.

Many San Luis Obispo residents and students were concerned about the impact of the new development on environmentally sensitive areas in Poly Canyon. They expressed the need for a more environmentally sensitive design. a public interest meeting was held at which over a hundred individuals shared their thoughts and proposed new design ideas for the project. Finally, in spring of 2004 Cal Poly administrators announced that sustainable building practices would be incorporated into the complex (Sustainability Channel). In addition to amending previous building plans, Cal Poly promised beautification of natural sites in Poly Canyon to the community. Based on the conditions discussed, the controversial project gained acceptance from the people of San Luis Obispo.

Based on the results of a design/build competition, Clark Construction was awarded building privileges of the housing project. Cannon Associates was later chosen to provide civil engineering services for the project. Together they were responsible for the “preparation of grading, drainage, improvement, and on-and-off site utility plans” (Cannon). Another objective of this associate group was to help the university attain environmental permits and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building rating system developed by the United States Green Building Council. LEED “is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings” (U.S. Green Building Council). The purpose of this certification is to raise awareness of the benefits of sustainable building. Achieving certification guarantees that a building is efficient, economical and safe.

Clark Construction and Cannon Associates followed the building guidelines and requirements necessary to receive LEED certification. They formulated plans for increasing sustainability, which included rehabilitation of contaminated sites, providing suitable means for securing bicycles, locating the development within a quarter mile of bus lines, including enough parking for minimum requirements, decreasing storm water runoff, and reducing light pollution by providing full cutoff light fixtures. Water efficiency was also included in the building process. The design team succeeded in reducing water use by twenty percent by installing low flow toilets in the facilities. Cannon Associates also exceeded Title 24, California’s legislative mandate to reduce energy consumption (California Energy Commission), by over 2.5 percent.

Building materials and resources is another important aspect of green building, which affects the Earth on a global scale. Therefore, LEED requires that 75 percent of demolition and waste from the construction site are recycled. Also, 20 percent of all building materials must either be manufactured or recycled within five hundred miles of the site (Poly Canyon Village). Using local or regional materials reduces cost and pollution from transportation.

Indoor environmental quality is a substantial requirement in achieving LEED certification as well. To ensure that the building project would fulfill this requirement, the designers used mostly specialized low emitting materials such as paints, adhesives, sealants, carpets, and composite wood products. The Cannon Associates also installed 3500 windows in the complex to maximize views and daylight. Under LEED certification, a minimum daylight factor of 2% in spaces occupied for critical tasks must be achieved (Poly Canyon Village). Maximizing sunlight indoors helps to reduce energy consumption within the apartments by allowing natural light to be utilized by students during daylight hours.

Lastly, LEED awards points to developers based on innovation and design strategies. By nearly doubling the availability of on-campus housing, less students will commute to the college from off-campus. Students living within the college campus will have the opportunity to utilize other modes of transportation such as walking or bicycling. The reduced traffic will not only restore tranquility to the Cal Poly campus, but will contribute to reducing vehicle carbon dioxide emissions as well.

As far as the LEED grading system is concerned, Cal Poly’s Poly Canyon Village scored 32 on the sustainability scale. Buildings are rated on a point system that awards four different levels of certification: LEED certified (26-32 points), LEED silver (33-38 points), LEED gold (39-51 points), and LEED platinum (52 or more points) (Poly Canyon Village). The point value given to Cal Poly’s building project was only enough for LEED certification. However, considering that this green building is the first and only LEED certified complex on campus proves that Cal Poly is taking necessary steps to improve on-campus sustainability.

Although LEED certified buildings are new to Cal Poly, they are already well developed on other college campuses across the country. For example, Saint Xavier University in Illinois has earned LEED gold certification on one of its brand new dormitory developments, Rubloff Hall. This residence hall not only beats Cal Poly’s certification level, but boasts a roof top garden of 1,000 plants for cooling and heating retention, two flush mode toilets, and a carbon dioxide detection system, which senses whether a room is occupied and adjusts the air flow accordingly (Saint Xavier University). With increased planning and resources, Cal Poly has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Saint Xavier University and LEED gold certify Poly Canyon Village and any future building projects.

Regardless of possible future improvements, there are many benefits from the current project that will enhance both the campus and environment. These benefits inspired Cal Poly to go beyond the sustainable measures required for LEED certification. For example, for purposes of preserving the environmentally sensitive Brizzolara Creek, the developers will be planting over 450 trees and plants. These natural barriers will dissuade students from disrupting the surrounding natural environment. In addition to using plants to mark boundaries, the development team will be removing invasive plant species from the creek corridor and replacing them with appropriate plant types (Poly Canyon Village). The addition of Poly Canyon Village to Poly Canyon also gave incentive to relocate existing agricultural facilities. Moving these antiquated buildings not only provided an opportunity to replace them with new sustainable facilities, but reduced runoff from animal waste into the Brizzolara Creek as well. Removing this source of pollution from the creek helps to minimize the amount of upkeep required to maintain its well-being.

Within the walls of the Poly Canyon Village complex, the university’s Village Market will help to spread awareness of sustainable farming. The Cal Poly Organic Farm will flourish as students purchase organic fruits and vegetables grown on Cal Poly’s own farm grounds. Promoting such environmentally committed programs helps unify the campus by integrating sustainable methods utilized by other institutions within the university.

Unfortunately, the new apartment complex may also bear certain drawbacks. For example, the two additional parking structures will encourage more students to bring vehicles to the university. The increased vehicle capacity at Cal Poly may actually end up contributing to global warming through vehicle emissions rather than reducing atmospheric pollution. This is one aspect of the project that will possibly hurt the environment instead of help it. Also, the three commercial vendors, Jamba Juice, Einstein Bros Bagels, and Peet’s Coffee & Tea, which are being added to the complex’s courtyard, are not sustainable businesses. These businesses will undermine previous Cal Poly sustainable projects by re-introducing Styrofoam and non-recycled dishware to the green-seeking campusunless they are forced to comply with the university’s environmental policies. Also, bringing in corporate rather than local vendors will cause an unsustainable flow of money out of the San Luis Obispo community.

It is unfortunate that this Polytechnic University falls short of reaching its sustainable potential. However, the benefits of the Poly Canyon Village certainly outweigh the minor drawbacks. The building project has achieved environmental recognition and is now pending completion. Cal Poly’s first LEED certified facility will be an example of sustainability not only to the campus, but to other universities as well. Perhaps in time, with more dedication, Cal Poly will be the first university to achieve LEED platinum certification and lead colleges nationwide to environmental prestige.

Works Cited:

“Saint Xavier University’s Arthur Rubloff Hall turns “Green” into “Gold.”” 25 April 2007. 2 March 2008. http://www.sxu.edu/relations/news_story.asp?iNewsID=590&strBack=%2Fdefault%2Easp

“Poly Canyon Village.” 2 March 2008. http://sustainability.ucsb.edu/_client/pdf/conference2006/pres/Green%20Building/Residence%20Hall%20Green%20Building%20Case%20Studies/Joel%20Neel2_res%20hall%20green%20cp.pdf

“United States Green Building Council.” 3 March 2008.

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19

“California’s Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings.” California Energy Commission. 3 March 2008. http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/

“Cannon.” 3 March 2008. http://www.cannonassoc.com/oth_projects_schools.htm

“Building for Sustainability.” 3 March 2008. http://www.facilities.calpoly.edu/campusprojects/projects/sustainability/Pages/definition.htm

Sustainability Channel. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 16 March 2008 from Energy Policy T.V. Web site: http://video.energypolicytv.com/displaypage.php?vkey=db8dc7382bde7419bb57&channel=Sustainability

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