5. Building Practices: Feature Story | Specific Initiatives | Sustainability in Action

Feature Story: Furman LEEDs the way

What’s wrapped in hidden heat-reflective tinfoil and has solar green glazing and carbon-dioxide sensors that detect the presence of humans?

No, it’s not the space shuttle. It’s Herman N. Hipp Hall, home to Furman’s departments of Education, Economics, and Business and Accounting, as well as the Rushing Center for Teaching and Technology, Continuing Education and Graduate Education.

To the casual observer, the edifice resembles most any modern university building. It has a sun-bathed lobby with tile floors, upscale furniture and soothing teal and aqua-green colors. The bathrooms shine.

But take a closer look. Although Hipp is as modern as its name implies, it is clearly not your father’s academic building. Completed in 2002, the three-story, 38,000-square-foot building was constructed under stringent environmental standards. Hipp’s design, from its fly ash concrete foundation to its heat-reflective roof shingles, is intended to conserve energy while minimizing the building’s environmental impact.

In July of 2003, Hipp Hall became the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building in South Carolina. The U.S. Green Building Council, a national group of building industry leaders that encourages the construction of energy-efficient buildings, developed the LEED Green Buildings Rating System. Buildings are assigned one of four levels in the rating system—certified, silver, gold and platinum—based on the number of environmentally friendly features they include. A LEED panel ascribes points after reviewing documentation supporting each LEED prerequisite and credit. Hipp Hall was one of the first buildings in the Southeast to receive a “gold” rating.

In keeping with the university’s strategic plan, all major construction since Hipp Hall has followed LEED standards. The recently renovated James Buchanan Duke Library expects to complete the evaluation process and receive a minimal rating of LEED Silver with the possibility of LEED Gold by fall of 2006. Similarly, James C. Furman Hall, now refurbished, expects to qualify for the LEED Silver rating by the end of 2006. Third in Furman’s queue of buildings awaiting certification is the Younts Conference Center, which is expected to be certified after submitting an application this spring. Lastly, the new science complex reconstruction and expansion is being built for a competitive LEED rating. Provided the ratings are awarded, Furman will be home to five major LEED-certified buildings.

The university’s commitment to sustainable building practices requires a constant balancing act between increased expense and greater energy efficiencies. Implementing the environmentally friendly features in Hipp Hall added about $300,000 to the cost of the building, but those expenses are expected to be recouped in about 12 years through energy savings.

Specific Initiatives: How we're making a difference

Hipp Hall Green Facts:
Low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, adhesives and carpets were used to reduce the possibility of indoor air pollution. Materials free of added formaldehyde were specified.*
All windows on the south, west and east sides of Hipp Hall are equipped with a (solar) green glass tint. The tinting allows the maximum amount of daylight to enter but blocks ultraviolet heat, which causes the temperature in the building to rise. The glass also reduces glare.
Twenty-five percent of the materials used in construction of the building contain recycled content, compared with 15 percent for most buildings.*
Hipp Hall concrete is constructed with fly ash, a by-product of coal burning. It reduces the amount of cement required yet maintains strength. Cement production is a high-energy consumption process.*
Sensors in the building’s ductwork detect the carbon dioxide exhaled when we breathe. This data is used to determine the amount of outside air to introduce into the building to keep oxygen levels optimal.*
R-19 insulation and a special tinfoil-like substance are layered under all the external brickwork. This combination reflects heat while keeping the interior cool during the summer and warm in winter.
Every room has occupancy sensors. Overhead lights turn off automatically if no one is in the room.
More than 90 percent of the offices in Hipp Hall have a direct line of sight to the outside.
External lighting reflects down only. This “down lighting” conserves energy while reducing light pollution.*
Thanks to tree conservation and new plantings, more than 30 percent of the sidewalk and parking areas around Hipp Hall will be shaded in the next few years.*
More than 75 percent of the waste generated during construction was recycled.*

Duke Library Green Facts
The construction of the James B. Duke Library followed LEED guidelines for a silver rating.
New and replacement windows are equipped with a low-emissivity coating. The coating allows the maximum amount of daylight to enter but blocks ultraviolet light. The glass also reduces glare. For additional protection from the sun’s rays, automatic shades are installed on the south and west sides of the building.
An air/vapor barrier was added to create a building skin
to eliminate air infiltration and mold growth.
Every office, study, conference, work and storage room is equipped with occupancy sensors. Overhead lights turn off automatically if no one is in the room.
Sun-lit reading areas have lighting controlled by photo sensors that measure available daylight.
The project budget was not increased to cover LEED points. The building was constructed below the budget that was established prior to the university adopting LEED as its “green” building standard.

*Also true of the James B. Duke Library.

Sustainability in Action: Images of Campus Involvement: Hipp Hall & Duke Library

Herman N. Hipp Hall LEED Certification Score Card >
James B. Duke Library LEED Certification Score Card >