Student Housing Services

LEED NC Certification

The University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) established a goal to pursue LEED NC certification for the Frear Hall Residence Hall project. This goal was focused on reducing the impact the building has on the environment by way of its design, construction and use.

What is LEED?

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization composed of leaders from across the building industry working to advance buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Driving its mission to transform the built environment is the Council's LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™. LEED for New Construction (LEED NC) is designed to guide and distinguish high-performance commercial and institutional projects, including office buildings, high-rise residential buildings, government buildings, recreational facilities, manufacturing plants and laboratories.

LEED is a point based system where projects earn LEED points for satisfying specific green building criteria. Within each of the five primary LEED credit categories, projects must satisfy particular prerequisites and earn points. The five categories include:

• Sustainable Sites
• Water Efficiency
• Energy and Atmosphere
• Materials and Resources
• Indoor Environmental Quality

Some of the LEED criteria incorporated into the new Frear Hall Residence Hall project:

Sustainable Sites (SS)

• The project's roof and hardscape areas are considered "cool" - reflecting the sun's rays and deflecting the heat absorbed by typical dark-colored surfaces. Most cities have higher temperatures than rural areas (known as the "heat island effect") - a result of vast areas of dark roofs and pavement. By installing a light colored roof and paving areas, Frear Hall will not only make its surrounding area more pleasant, it will also reduce the building's heat gain and subsequent energy consumption.

Water Efficiency (WE)

• Efficient plumbing fixtures were installed throughout Frear Hall resulting in a 30% reduction in water use as compared to conventional fixtures. Efficient plumbing fixtures in the project include:
• • Dual-flush toilets (half flush for liquid waste, full flush for solid waste)
  • Low flow lavatory faucets
  • Low flow showerheads

Energy & Atmosphere (EA)

• Through the implementation of various energy efficiency measures, Frear Hall will be 27% more efficient than a building meeting the latest, nationwide industry standard (ASHRAE 90.1-2004). Energy efficiency measures include:
• Occupancy sensors that turn lights off when no one is in a room
• Glass that reflects the sun's heat
• Efficient HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems. HVAC system can be monitored to make sure it is being used appropriately.
• Natural ventilation for hallways and lobby areas

Materials and Resources (MR)

• Construction waste makes up a significant portion of all the waste sent to landfills. During the construction of Frear Hall, the general contractor attempted to recycle as much of the demolition and construction waste as possible (which is difficult in the state of Hawaii). Steel, concrete and wood were diverted from the landfill and either recycled or incinerated for energy production. While occupied, Frear Hall will continue to divert materials from landfill by encouraging its occupants to recycle. Recycling bins for paper, cardboard, metals, plastics and glass will be conveniently available on every floor.
• 57% of the construction waste was diverted. Wood, cardboard, steel, metal and concrete were recycled.

Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ)

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) (i.e. the new car smell) reside in many products (like plastic shower curtains, for example) and can make people ill. From the adhesives, sealants and paints used during construction, to the carpet installed throughout the project, low (or zero) VOC products were chosen for Frear Hall. In addition, UHM has created a Green Housekeeping program for Frear Hall in order to eliminate the use of toxic cleaning chemicals which can negatively impact a building's indoor air quality. Non-toxic cleaning supplies that are compliant with the requirements of Green Seal's GS-37 standard will be used throughout the project and are available to the residents.

LEED Credits being pursued:

SS credits pursued:

• SS credit 1 – Site Selection
• SS credit 2 – Development Density & Community Connectivity
• SS credit 3 – Brownfield Redevelopment
• SS credit 4.1 – Alternative Transportation: Public Transportation Access
• SS credit 4.2 – Alternative Transportation: Bicycle Storage & Changing Stations
• SS credit 4.4 – Alternative Transportation: Parking Capacity
• SS credit 5.2 – Maximize Open Space
• SS credit 6.1 – Storm water Management: Quantity Control
• SS credit 7.1 – Heat Island Effect: Non-Roof
• SS credit 7.2 – Heat Island Effect: Roof
• SS credit 8 – Light Pollution Reduction.

WE credits pursued:

• WE credit 1.1 – Water Efficient Landscaping
• WE credit 3 – Water Use Reduction.

EA credits pursued:

• EA prerequisite 1 – Fundamental Commissioning of the Building Energy Systems
• EA prerequisite 2 – Minimum Energy Performance
• EA prerequisite 3 – Fundamental Refrigerant Management
• EA credit 1 – Optimize Energy Performance
• EA credit 3 – Enhanced Commissioning
• EA credit 4 – Enhanced Refrigerant Management.

MR credits pursued:

• MR prerequisite 1 – Storage & Collection of Recyclables
• MR credit 2 – Construction Waste Management, MR credit 4 – Recycled Content.

EQ credits pursued:

• EQ prerequisite 1 – Minimum IAQ Performance
• EQ prerequisite 2 – Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Control
• EQ credit 3.1 – Construction IAQ Management: During Construction
• EQ credit 3.2 – Construction IAQ Management: Before Occupancy
• EQ credit 4.1 – Low Emitting Materials: Adhesives & Sealants
• EQ credit 4.2 – Low Emitting Materials: Paints & Coatings
• EQ credit 4.3 – Low Emitting Materials: Carpet Systems
• EQ credit 6.1 – Controllability of Systems: Lighting
• EQ credit 6.2 – Controllability of Systems: Thermal Comfort
• EQ credit 7.1 – Thermal Comfort: Design
• EQ credit 7.2 – Thermal Comfort: Verification
• EQ credit 8.2 – Day lighting and Views: Views for 90% of Spaces.

To learn more about LEED and the US Green Building Council visit: www.usgbc.org

Green Housekeeping

NAM, LLC recognizes that green housekeeping is designed to reduce the environmental impact on health and the environment. Chemical toxicity from cleaning products, improper cleaning equipment, and cleaning methods can result in contaminants in the air quality of our building, thus affecting health and our environment. NAM, LLC proudly offers a Green Housekeeping Plan alternative at the University of Hawaii to reduce the impact on our health and our environment in your facilities

Cleaning Chemicals

Lamer's Inc. of Hawaii offers a complete selection of Spartan Chemical Company's ‘Green Solutions' cleaning products that comply with Green Seal approval. Spartan Chemical's Green Solution products are EPA approved and registered. These products alone earn up to 12 points towards LEED or LEED-EB certification. They are amongst the leading "Green Seal" approved janitorial products.

The products that NAM, LLC will use are as follows;

• Green Solutions Restroom Cleaner
• Green Solutions All Purpose Cleaner
• Green Solutions Glass Cleaner
• Green Solutions Carpet Cleaner
• Green Solutions Floor Seal
• Green Solutions Floor Finish Remover

Supplies and Equipment

• Micro-Fiber Rags
• Micro-Fiber Dust Mops
• "Green" Mop Heads
• Green Solution Chemical Dispensers
• Bamboo Mop Sticks
• Recycled Product Packaging
• HEPA Green Seal Approved Back Pack Vacuums- These vacuums are 99.97% efficient in removing fine dust microbes. High efficacy allergen filter bags

Approved and Prohibited Cleaning Products

NAM, LLC's cleaning products will comply with Green Seal GS-37 standards. All of the products used are prohibited from containing any of the following chemicals:

• Alkylphenol ethoxylates
• Dibutyl phthalate
• Heavy metals including arsenic, lead, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, mercury, nickel, or selenium
• Ozone-depleting compounds: An ozone-depleting compound is any compound with an ozone-depletion potential greater than 0.01 (CFC 11 = 1).
• Optical brighteners: Defined as additives designed to enhance the appearance of colors and whiteness in materials by absorbing ultraviolet radiation and emitting blue radiation (Also known as fluorescent whitening agents).

Ways Residents Can Help While Living in Frear:

Waste:

• Be sure to separate trash from recyclables. Use the recycling centers in the trash rooms.
• Reuse or pass items on to others that will need them in the future. Just because you don't want an item anymore doesn't mean a neighbor or friend couldn't use that old couch or clothing.

Housekeeping:

• Use green cleaners when cleaning your room.
• Minimize use of "disposable" items when cleaning.

Water Use:

• 21 percent of household water use comes from the shower. While there are many ways to reduce water use in the shower, lowering the length of time in the shower is good option to lower water use.
• 26 percent of household water use comes from flushing the toilet. Your rooms are equipped with dual flush toilets which save water by more closely matching the volume of water used to do the job.
• Turn off the water while you're brushing your teeth and you'll save six gallons of water each day (assuming you brush twice a day). If you shave with a wet razor using the sink, put a stopper in the sink and don't leave the water running. Half a sink-full of water will do the job.
• If you noticed a faucet, showerhead or toilet leaking, please fill out a pilikia. A dripping faucet can waste 20 gallons of water a day. A leaking toilet can use 90,000 gallons of water in a month.

Energy consumption:

• Turn off lights and other devices when they're not needed.
• Only use items when you need them.
• Plug electrical items into a surge protector and turn off the surge protector when not using items.
• Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
• Turn off air-conditioning when you open windows or leave your room.
• Adjust temperature or air flow to be comfortable. Your room is not an ice box.
• Use energy-star or other low-energy certified appliances. These appliances can save 50 percent of the energy used by regular appliances.
• If you brought a lamp, use a compact fluorescent light bulb.

**If you have any questions about the air-conditioning in your room, please speak to a staff member. They can help you adjust the settings or provide more information on how the system works.

For more information about living green in your room, try:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/dorm-rooms/dorm-rooms-basics.html

Sources for this document include: planetgreen.com, treehugger.com