UCONN Health Center
Project Background and Services:
Steven Winter Associates, Inc. (SWA) was contracted as the LEED consultant for the fit-out of a new 300,000 sf outpatient care center. Working with the architect, Perkins Eastman, and the University of Connecticut Health Center, the team aimed to incorporate best practices for sustainability to achieve a minimum LEED Silver Certification. The building consolidated all ambulatory services into one building, housing clinical programs and support systems. Additionally, 60,000 sf was designated for new clinician scientist recruits. The design team was tasked with ensuring that the building was environmentally sensitive, energy efficient, and healthy to occupy.
Primary Energy Conservation Measures:
The project has targeted low-emitting adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, carpet systems, hard surface flooring, and composite wood materials. The interior fit-out only specified materials that meet LEED VOC limits and related criteria. Placement of 10’ walk-off grills at all major entrances reduce dirt and dust tracked into the building. Isolation of areas where chemical mixing occurs was also required to prevent potentially contaminated air from migrating out of a given space.
SWA provided UCHC with a declaration document stating that all paper, plastic, glass, metals, and corrugated cardboard be recycled during operations, and that space for the on-going storage and collection of recyclable materials had been allocated. The interior fit-out team included a Division 1 specification requiring that at least 75-percent of the demolition and construction waste generated in the course of the project be diverted from landfills.
The design team intends to install low-flow faucets (between 0.5 and 1.5 GPM), high efficiency toilets (1.28 GPF), and low flow urinals (1/8 GPF). During the design development phase, fixture performance options will be calculated; fixtures will be specified based on water savings, performance, ease of maintenance, and aesthetics. The project is targeting a minimum 24.5-percent overall reduction from a basecase model of the building designed to meet ASHRAE 90.1 – 2007.