Innovations Earn Old CE Building Gold

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The renovation of the Old Civil Engineering Building has become the first renovation/historic preservation project to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for Ivan Allen College, Georgia Tech, and the Georgia Board of Regents. The project has earned one of the highest LEED certification - Gold - garnering points in every category with additional points for innovations.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED program is a Green Building Rating System that provides standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

Completed in November 2008, the Old CE renovation focused on LEED guidelines for energy savings and sustainability measures with a goal of achieving certification. Located near the center of campus at 221 Bobby Dodd Way, the renovated building now houses Ivan Allen College's schools of Economics and History, Technology, and Society.

Key strategies to achieve the Gold certification under version 2.2 of LEED New Construction and Major Renovations guidelines included improving the exterior site sustainability, the exterior shell insulation, the overall heating / cooling / ventilation, electrical, and lighting efficiencies, and significantly reducing water usage. Cited as most exemplary was a 45% reduction in water consumption through the use of low and ultra-low flow water fixtures. Demand for water was also reduced by installing an efficient landscape irrigation system using only water collected from rainfall and building condensation in a 6,500 gallon above ground cistern to achieve a 56% decrease in demand.

Careful attention was paid to selecting finishes that were available locally, that have a high recycled content, or that don't negatively affect the indoor environmental quality with high volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Occupied spaces were configured to take advantage of existing windows and natural daylight.

The renovation was overseen by Georgia Tech Director of Capital Planning and Space Management Howard Wertheimer, Facilities Project Manager Gary Petheric, and Interior Designer Polly Patton, both from Georgia Tech Facilities Design and Construction Department. For Ivan Allen College, Chris Fehrenbach oversaw the project. Design was completed by the architectural firm Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein. Juneau Construction was the general contractor.

For more about the renovation, see Ivan Allen College December 2008 Newsletter.

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