In November, Ball State University celebrated the second “green” certification of the David Letterman Communication and Media Building.
The CAP students involved made up the first collegiate team in Indiana to certify that an existing building meets the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards of the U.S. Green Building Council. The university recognized their work with a reception.
Ball State has the first collegiate team in Indiana and the Mid-American Conference to certify a building meets the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards of the U.S. Green Building Council on campus LEED building standards.
Ball State has the fifth university team in the world to certify an existing building meets the LEED building standards on campus.
Janet Fick, associate lecturer of construction management, registered architect and LEED AP, started the LEED Lab course at Ball State in spring 2015 through a Provost Immersive Learning Grant. To date, the course has included 127 students from the construction management, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, urban planning, and historic preservation fields.
Students come away with experience and skills working on an actual building certification through the LEED Existing Buildings and Operations process which includes assessment of sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design. The student collaborations have revealed an appreciation and understanding of the different disciplines involved in the work, mirroring the types of collaboration they will experience in the workplace.
The class began the process for the Marilyn K. Glick Center for Glass which recently received the Silver Leed certification and has begun the process anew with the Applied Technology building on campus.
Throughout the duration of the courses, students were mentored by James Jones (right), chair of the Department of Construction Management and Interior Design and Roan Distinguished Professor of Construction Management, with assistance from Robert Koester (left), registered architect and LEED AP, and Jim Lowe, associate vice president for facilities planning and management.