Greenville Tech becomes a little greener

GREENVILLE, SC – November 15, 2011 – In a celebration held today, Greenville Technical College announced that its Student Center has received LEED Silver Certification. The Barton Campus building, originally constructed in 1980, underwent a total renovation that was completed in December 2010.LEED building practices are now required by the state if the cost of renovating a building exceeds 50% of the cost of new construction. Construction on the Student Center project totaled $2,176,396.

The architect for the project was Scott Powell of Craig Gaulden Davis, and the general contractor was SYS Constructors, Inc.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Points are awarded for identifying and implementing green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions.

The building’s Silver Certification was based upon implementation of a number of measures including arrangements for alternative transportation such as bicycle storage and parking for low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles; site development measures that protect and restore the building’s habitat and maximize open space; water efficient landscaping; optimized energy performance; use of low-emitting materials such as paint, carpet, adhesives/sealants, and composite wood; and other measures. It is expected that, over time, the energy conservation measures taken during renovations to the Student Center will result in cost savings. 

In addition to parking for low emission vehicles, the college has provided an electric vehicle charging station outside the Student Center. This charging station, manufactured by Eaton, provides the electric vehicle’s onboard charger with the electricity it needs to refill the battery.

While the Student Center was the first building on a Greenville Tech campus to achieve LEED standards, the college is now moving in a greener direction. Silver certification will also be sought for the IT/Logistics building, now under construction, and on schedule for completion in December 2011.

“The word ‘green’ is part of our name and now part of the way we operate,” said Dr. Keith Miller, president of Greenville Tech. “It is important to us to minimize the negative impact that our facilities have on the environment, and we are pleased to have taken an important step in this direction. We look forward to having LEED recognition plaques like the one we placed today in our Student Center in many buildings on all four of our campuses.”