August 6, 2014
Chelsea Cansino
The University of Minnesota Duluth Kathryn A. Martin Library uses about $144,080 worth of electricity per year, and much of that is used to heat, cool and condition the air inside (to protect the valuable books and resources it houses!)
The Life Science Building completed its initial construction in 1968. A $15.2 million project to renovate the 38 year old building began in 2006 and the Life Science building reopened in fall 2007. The building obtained Silver Level LEED Certification for the renovation.
The building envelope of Life Sciences was built with efficiency in mind. New double-pane, argon-filled windows are a low-e glass. Also, the white roof of Life Science helps to reduce cooling loads in the summer.
Upgraded HVAC systems help save energy:
The Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE) opened in 2008 and was the first building in the University of Minnesota System to be LEED certified at the gold level. Sustainability goes way beyond a building’s construction and is an issue throughout its life; LSBE was built with resource conservation in mind.
Sustainable features:
The Bagley Outdoor Classroom, designed by Duluth architect David Salmela and contracted by UMD’s own Facilities Management, opened in June 2010. The Bagley Outdoor Classroom was the first building in the University system to be certified by LEED at the platinum level.
Swenson Civil Engineering was built as a model in sustainable development for students in the Civil Engineering Program. The building opened in July 2010 with Gold Level LEED Certification.
The Kirby Student Center Lounge was renovated during the summers of 2013 (Phase I) and 2015 (Phase II). While it did not undergo LEED certification, the renovation project used many industry best practices, including LEED standards, and took sustainability into special consideration.
The most sustainable feature of the renovated space is that is was an existing space. By renovating an existing area, rather than building a new building, campus green area is preserved, construction materials reduced, and less square-footage to maintain.
Lawrence A. Ianni Hall opened in fall 2011 and is the first residence hall on the UMD campus to earn LEED certification, LEED Silver. Ianni Hall is named after Lawrence A. Ianni, who served as chancellor of UMD from 1987 to 1995. The building is the first residence hall at UMD to achieve LEED certification.
Cina Hall’s remodel began in July of 2015 and finished in July of 2016. The year-long revamp cost about 4.6 million dollars and was the first update to Cina since 1958.
Superior Dining renovations began over Winter Break of 2015 and finished right before the beginning of the Fall 2016 semester. By renovating the existing building structure, UMD kept the square footage of campus from changing, yet improved the flow of traffic and provided more efficient and comfortable seating options. Superior Dining took steps to make the space energy-efficient, with upgraded heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment. It also features some local and sustainably sourced materials.
Read more about these efforts below!
October 30, 2018
Mindy Granley
The newest building at UMD was built with sustainability in mind!
The Heikkila Chemistry and Advanced Materials Science (HCAMS) building is a 56,000 square foot research and laboratory building that will serve as a teaching resource for students from across disciplines and house a research lab, the Advanced Materials Center. The new building will help UMD meet the demand for STEM graduates in our region, along with upgrading important research facilities.