Green Building

Download the Green Building section of the 2007 UCSC Campus Sustainability Assessment here.

UCSC’s indoor and outdoor built environment provides spaces for the campus to meet both its programmatic objectives and basic human needs. Accordingly, green building is a major component of all of the UC Regents’ sustainability-related policies.

UCSC can build on its distinguished history of sustainable site development and energy-efficient buildings. The campus is widely viewed as a success in balancing the demands of a major academic venture within a unique and dynamic ecosystem. The ways in which construction and operation of campus facilities are accomplished present significant opportunities for limiting adverse environmental effects. The institution is also well positioned to meet the rising expectations of the green building movement, including improved environmental performance in the supply chain of building products (from resource extraction to waste), healthier spaces for work and study, and more efficient energy and operational systems.

Campus growth will inevitably alter the physical environment: storm water patterns will be changed, habitats disrupted, and resources consumed. Design decisions will affect continuing operations for the entire life of a building. From its inception, its spectacular natural setting has inspired those charged with creating UC Santa Cruz to be particularly imaginative in campus design. When planning, designing, building, maintaining, and renovating its facilities, the campus continually addresses issues of habitat integrity, storm water management, energy and water conservation, and efficient use of resources. At the same time, competing demands of escalating construction costs, use of sustainable materials and methods, efficient building performance, and responsible environmental planning will pose significant challenges.

Summary of Activities and Performance

• UCSC has a long-standing institutional commitment to stewardship of the campus that facilitates the design and construction of buildings with excellent environmental performance.

• UCSC’s Green Building Campus Baseline – mandated by UCOP – describes the institution’s formal commitment to LEED credits for all projects.

• The 2005 Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP) includes physical planning principles related to sustainable development, operations, and community initiatives.

• UCSC is moving quickly to use LEED frameworks in several areas:

• LEED-EB pilot project for Engineering 2.

• Several LEED-CI projects are underway.

• Collaborative effort among Physical Planning and
Construction, Student Affairs, and the Student
Environmental Center to pursue LEED-NC
certification for Cowell Student Health
Center expansion.

• Biomedical Sciences Facility designed to be the
equivalent of LEED Silver.

For more information about the national movement, please visit the The US Green Building Council website.

For more information about Green Building at UCSC: Physical Planning and Construction