by Russell Boniface
Associate Editor

How do you … design an energy-efficient apartment and community center for a university?

Summary: The Green Building Initiative (GBI) last month recognized two University of Arkansas buildings for achieving official Green Globes® designations for sustainable design and construction. The Duncan Avenue Apartments and the Duncan Avenue Community Center were both recognized at an Earth Day ceremony. Ward Hubbell, president of the GBI, presented leaders from the University of Arkansas with plaques for the buildings’ environmental achievements. The apartment building and community center, opened in fall 2008, are part of the University of Arkansas housing. The design for each focuses on energy and water efficiency. The Duncan Avenue Apartments is the first apartment in the U.S. to be Green Globes certified.

Green Globes is an environmental assessment and rating system used by the GBI for commercial buildings. More than 55 buildings in the U.S. have achieved this rating. Both the Duncan Avenue Apartment and the Duncan Avenue Community Center received the Green Globes designations for sustainable design. Each was designed by Allison Architects, Inc. and Little Diversified Arch. Consulting.

Energy and water efficient
The Duncan Avenue Apartment building is a three-story, 57,800-square-foot complex. The building was recognized for its integrated project design team. Also, the GBI recognized the apartment’s water-efficient equipment, such as dual flush fixtures and water-saving fixtures on faucets and showerheads. Rounding out the project’s sustainable design are its high indoor air quality, effective lighting, thermal comfort, and suitable acoustic conditions.

The Duncan Avenue Community Center is a two-story, 3,400-square-foot building recognized for environmental purchasing, including the procurement of energy-saving, high-efficiency equipment. Sustainable features that were recognized include mitigation of storm water runoff and energy-efficient lighting fixtures, lamps, and ballasts.

“The University of Arkansas’ new sustainable buildings prove that all types of structures, from apartments to community centers, can be designed and built in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner," says Hubbell.

The design team used Green Globes’ online interactive assessment tool to design and construct both buildings. After the buildings were constructed, GBI reviewed the construction documents, conducted an on-site inspection, and assessed an official Green Globes rating. The Duncan Avenue Apartments achieved a rating of One Globe, and the Duncan Avenue Community Center achieved a Two Globes rating.

Says Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities, University of Arkansas: “The Duncan Avenue apartments and community center are examples of the way we intend to use innovative technologies in our buildings to create a sustainable campus. We are proud and grateful to have our efforts recognized by an organization of the caliber of the Green Building Initiative.”