The facility housing Northern Arizona University’s Extended Campuses has been awarded a “Gold” rating from the Leadership Energy and Environment Design building rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The 23,000-square-foot extension to the School of Communication houses classrooms, offices and production studios to support NAU’s Extended Campuses programs. It was designed by Tucson-based BWS Architects.
The building, clad in aluminum composite metal panels and northern Arizona sandstone, incorporates many resource-frugal technologies to achieve the advanced level of sustainability that the Gold certification represents.
The building uses about 43 percent less energy than a typical building of the same size through passive ventilation, solar-preheating of outside heating air, an innovative HVAC system called “active chilled beams” and sophisticated lighting and environmental controls. Water use is reduced more than 60 percent through low-water use plumbing fixtures and irrigating with municipal reclaimed water. More than 30 percent of building materials have significant recycled content and were attained and manufactured locally.
“Our dedication to building ‘green’ buildings further demonstrates our climate mitigation commitment,” said NAU President John Haeger. “It is further proof of the institution’s stewardship of place.”
The building is the fourth on the NAU Flagstaff campus to receive a LEED rating. The Applied Research and Development building remains one of the “greenest” buildings in higher education with a “Platinum” rating, the building that houses The W.A. Franke College of Business has a “Gold” rating and the Engineering building has a “Gold” rating.