Donald Bren School of Environmental Science & Management

Location: University of California, Santa Barbara, California
Type of building: Educational Facility
Size (Sq. ft.): 84,672 sq. ft.
New construction of a living laboratory and environmental showcase facility to demonstrate cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies and operations.
Estimated date of completion: 2002
Cost: $27,500,000
Owner: University of California, Santa Barbara
Designed By: Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, Architect; Earl Walls Associates, Laboratory Consultant; Flack & Kurtz Consulting Engineers, Mechanical/Electrical Engineer; KPFF Consulting Engineers, Structural Engineer; Penfield & Smith, Civil Engineer; Wallace Roberts & Todd, Landscape Architect; McKay Conant Brook, Inc., Acoustics.

Sustainable Building Strategies:

Donald Bren Hall anticipates receiving a Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating, which is the highest possible rating achievable within the US Green Building Council's national rating system.

Site Protection: Since Donald Bren Hall is located adjacent to the ocean, a strict site protection plan was developed and implemented to ensure all storm water is retained onsite to prevent contamination of local waterways.

Water Efficiency: A separate reclaimed water system was installed to furnish greywater to flush toilets and irrigate the landscape. Waterless urinals were also installed and it is estimated that each waterless urinal will save approximately 45,000 gallons of water per year.

Energy Efficiency: Design includes a 40 KW rooftop photovoltaic system, natural ventilation linked with a window interlock system for heating, daylighting controls, energy-efficient lighting, high efficiency boiler, and chiller integrated into a virtual chilled water loop. These energy efficiency measures assisted the building to exceed Title 24 (1998 Standards) by 31%.

Materials Efficiency: 93% of the construction waste generated onsite was diverted from the landfill. Recycled-content products include 12-20% flyash in the concrete, glass tiles and countertops, 100% postconsumer recycled content carpet, and tire-derived rubber flooring. Other environmentally preferable products for the interior surface materials included linoleum and natural cork flooring, bamboo cabinetry, and stained concrete flooring.

Lessons learned: Even starting late in the design process, it is easy and cost-effective to make a sustainable structure.

LEED Cost Analysis (Adobe Acrobat, 232 KB)
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Information Contact: Mo Lovegreen, (805) 893-4339
Web Site: http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/brenhall/default.html

Last updated: January 15, 2008