Campus Green Builder

Design Stage

Design of "The Suites" underwent much iteration because the planning and design were completed prior to the decision was made by the administration about assimilating green features complying with LEED^® criteria in the building. For example, the initial configuration of the building (that was determined by the first design iteration) needed to be altered in order to increase energy efficiency (pertaining to LEED^® standards) while maintaining the original intent of the initial design. The team performed a feasibility study to evaluate the type of LEED^® components that could be incorporated at the construction stage versus the benefits offered by these features. A spreadsheet/list of feasibility options was compiled for that purpose and assessed against the initial investment. Extensive collaboration was required from the involved consultants such as the architects, civil, HVAC, MEP engineers as well as the construction team to transform this building into a high-performance building, which was not planned to be one.

Construction Stage

Planning for construction of "The Suites" took place in the mist of the hurricane Katrina aftermath. Multiple construction management companies were issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the project, however bids were higher than what the institution had budgeted for. At which point the team decided to proceed with the initial design of the building and reissue the project. Negotiations with many potential contractors failed until New South Construction expressed interest. CxGBS was retained as the LEED^® consultants for the project partly due to previous alliance between Jay Enck (CxGBS) and Arthur Frazier (Spelman) on the one of the building projects at Morehouse College.

Operation and Maintenance

The operation and maintenance of the new residence hall, in some aspect, becomes a case study for the institution since monitoring is an essential verification component of the post-construction and occupation stages.

• Green housekeeping is employed in the building to eliminate the environmental hazards caused by the chemicals from the cleaning products.
• The institution educates the facilities staff and personnel about the best practices.
• Measurement Verification Program is being implemented to evaluate the building's performance.
• The campus has already instituted an Energy Management Policy, which guides occupants in best ways to conserve energy and alert the institution when malfunction occurs.

Post-occupancy Issues

The post-occupancy of any building facilities is one of the principal markers for gauging the building's performance.

In the Spelman's case, the Operations and Maintenance staff monitors the building throughout the year. The Suites building utilities are metered to observe the performance and efficiency of the new building systems. Continuous feedback from the students and staff is also informing the facilities staff about the post-occupancy performance of the HVAC system, and lighting and other electrical loads. Spelman College is in the process of metering the utilities across all the campus facilities using The Suites building as their model project.