EFS Profiles
The Greening of Bren Hall
University of California at Santa Barbara - Bren School of Environmental Science and Management
Santa Barbara, California
Purpose: Greening the Campus
Please note that the copyright for this profile is retained by the institution.
Design of the building to house UCSB's School of Environmental Science and Management began in 1992, before the Dean or any Bren School faculty were hired. The original building committee was comprised of surrogate faculty from other departments on campus to begin the design process. At that time, the State of California agreed to use public funding to construct a building for faculty, students, and staff but not to fund a structure that was itself an experiment in environmental sensitivity. Construction was to begin in 1995, but failure of a statewide bond issue delayed funding until the successful bond initiative passed in November 1998.
Chancellor Yang appointed Jeff Dozier as the School's first Dean in 1994. The School was renamed in 1997 in recognition of Donald Bren and his generous contribution of $15 million. Mr. Bren's vision was to create a program that integrates science, business and management practices, law, and policy. The outstanding international faculty who have been recruited into the Bren School are committed to constructing an environmentally sensitive building and, along with support from the Bren School Advisory Board, have made exceptional progress to this end.
In the 50% construction document (CD) phase, the Bren School aggressively pursued the "greening" of Bren Hall, commissioning reviews by the Rocky Mountain Institute, Southern California Edison, the Innovative Building Review Committee, the Sustainability Project, and the California Energy Commission. Many of the recommendations from these reviews have been adopted as well as those identified by the Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership. Bren Hall will be the "greenest" building on the UCSB campus by a wide margin. Bren Hall will surpass stringent 1999 Title 24 standards by more than thirty-one percent; no other campus building surpass these standards.
Following extensive discussions, and with the support of the Chancellor and Executive Vice Chancellor, UCSB commissioned Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership and Eley Associates in July 1999, to write a sustainable design and commissioning plan for the Bren School. The purpose of the study was to analyze the current design and to recommend measures that could be taken to improve it in terms of sustainability. The report explores various measures to identify means of implementation.
The design of Bren Hall includes some ideal features. To ensure efficient use of energy, the building is designed and sited to harvest natural light, heating, and cooling. Facing the ocean, the offices have no air conditioning but rely on flow-through ventilation using operable windows. The windows interlock to the heating system, so when a window is opened, the heaters are automatically shut off. Daylight harvesting is coupled with a lighting plan that incorporates energy-efficient fixtures and bulbs, along with controls for motion and ambient light. The variable air volume ventilation system for the laboratories is the most efficient available. The building is connected to the new multi-building virtual chilled water loop to provide cost-effective cooling for the laboratory wing. The toilets use reclaimed water on the first floor and waterless urinals. The steel, concrete, fireproofing, insulation, carpets, wallboard, ceiling tiles, counters, upholstery fabric, and furniture are made from recycled materials. Wood paneling in the building will come from certified sustainable forest harvests. Labs and storerooms are designed to minimize the probabilities and consequences of mishandling of toxic materials. Contract specifications require the builder to separate and reuse waste to minimize debris taken from the site. The landscaping will shade and shelter the building, create outdoor spaces for discussion, use drought-tolerant native plants, and use reclaimed water for irrigation. The fire road around the structure is made from a recycled permeable turf-block with a grass overlay.
In addition, the Bren School is partnering with Southern California Edison (SCE) to make the building a living laboratory and environmental showcase facility to demonstrate cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies and operations. We are working with SCE to develop experiments to measure the performance of various measures. A comparative analysis of their performance, energy use, and cost effectiveness will be published for public use. The goal of this joint venture is to push market transformation by educating clients and designers. SCE will also provide incentives for some of the instrumentation and certain energy efficient measures. A few features of the building include:
- The earthsquare carpet tiles provided by Miliken Carpet are renewed and reconditioned modular carpet tiles.
- Furnishings are made from a minimum of 50% recycled materials, using environmentally responsible manufacturing processes.
- The steel support beams of the building shelf used to be old Fords and Chevys.
- Countertops, carpets and upholstery will come from recycled material.
- The foundation's concrete is mixed with fly ash from coal power plants, which makes the structure stronger and cheaper.
- To reduce waste, the furniture will arrive in blankets, not boxes. And crews recycle whatever cardboard, plastic and metals that are left over at the end of the day.
This document was last modified on 02/20/2002 10:43:03 AM
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