SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
LEED Platinum Conrad Prebyz Aztec Student Union
The SDSU student body showed their enthusiasm for sustainability by voting for the new campus centerpiece to target LEED Double Platinum . The P2S team heard the students ’ call and worked with Cannon Design and Sundt Construction to create a welcoming facility that preserved the campus ’ mission-style feel but ushered in an era of modernization . The student union is now the largest LEED Platinum education facility in California .
How did we manage to reduce energy costs by 50 %? For this project , our team developed a range of innovative solutions to optimize energy usage and improve the facility ’ s features for students . Solutions included :
• HVAC system upgrade which accounts for an energy usage reduction of 40 %
• Outdoor air system that simultaneously reduces fan energy and improves indoor air quality
• Demand-based ventilation to ensure energy is expended based on facility traffic
• Mixed lighting system of natural light ( daylighting and skylight features ) and highly efficient electrical lighting
• Photovoltaic system to offset a portion of the building ’ s energy usage
• Sub-metering of all utility systems to better understand energy and water-consumption patterns
The solutions used for this project are just several strategies to optimize the energy usage of higher education facilities . In addition to the Aztec Student Union , we ’ ve worked on many notable sustainable facilities including CSU Monterey Bay ’ s LEED Silver Design Otter Student Union and Mt . San Antonio College ’ s LEED Gold Student Success Center . Throughout the projects , we ’ ve implemented numerous solutions to help our clients meet their energy goals .
The benefits from sustainable facilities are no joke - both for the student body and the budget . If you expect the call for sustainability to grow , which many do , it ’ s certainly worth considering how a sustainable facility can catalyze a positive change on your campus .
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