Chem building greenest at MSU

Four years of planning paid off in August when the Chemistry Building addition was awarded with the LEED silver level certification, making it the greenest building on campus.

Being LEED certified means following a rating system set by the U.S. Green Building Council. The council created standards and various levels of certification — certified, silver, gold and platinum. The levels depend upon the building’s water use, indoor air quality and the site selection.

A silver level certification means the building will see a 25 percent to 30 percent energy reduction, or about $10,000 in energy savings cost per year. The addition is the only structure on campus with any LEED certification.

Some measures MSU took to ensure LEED compliance include the use of natural light, motion sensors in the classrooms, up-to-date laboratories as well as new offices and demand ventilation, which regulates based on the number of people in the room.

Facility space in the original Chemistry Building is not LEED certified.

Plans for certifying the building began in late 2005, when construction of the addition began. After deciding to make the addition LEED certified, contractors, designers and MSU officials were in constant communication with U.S. Green Building Council to provide documentation that the proper steps to LEED certification were being taken during construction. Although the addition was completed, open and met the LEED certification requirements last fall, the university didn’t receive an official award until last month.

“You want to start with (a) schematic idea and have to plan for it because of so much documentation,” MSU energy and environmental engineer Lynda Boomer said. “You want all players to know and all reviewing it with that goal in mind.”

Since the state of Michigan issued an order that any state-funded project needed to be LEED certified, Boomer saw it as an opportunity to take the extra steps of having the building certified.

The entire project cost about $18 million. The new addition cost about $12 million to build and the LEED certification measures cost about $6 million. About two-thirds was funded by the state of Michigan and the other one-third by MSU, Boomer said.

“We were already on a path of changing to the LEED standards,” Boomer said. “(It) just makes good sense in managing our resources to build new buildings as sustainable as we can, because it’s going to be around for a long time.”

Some students said the LEED certification is a step in the right direction for the university. Brittney Harrald, a criminal justice and psychology senior, said the certification showcases the effort MSU is making to become a greener campus.

“I think anything that reduces our cost and helps the environment eliminate ozone pollution is good,” Harrald said.