University of California Sustainability Policies and Best Practices

Green Buildings

The UC Presidential Policy on Green Building Design and Clean Energy Standards was signed in June 2004, after the UC Regents unanimously passed the policy in July 2003. The policy was expanded and renamed the Policy on Sustainable Practices in 2007.

For new building construction, the policy requires all new buildings to be built to the equivalent of the LEED-NC Certified level and to outperform the state’s Title 24 energy code by at least 20 percent. For renovation projects, the policy requires that all renovations with budget over $5 million must meet the equivalent of LEED-CI Certified level. All renovation projects should include a listing of green building measures under consideration at the time of budget approval.

To move towards more sustainable operations and maintenance of existing buildings, each campus must submit one pilot building for LEED-EB certification by July 2008.

This page provides a list of LEED certified projects in the UC system and links to the policy and annual reports on its implementation. It also provides case studies from within the UC system and a link to case studies on UC/CSU Best Practice Award winners. Finally, you will also find links to other resources for green building in the university setting

LEED Certified Buildings in the UC System

LEED for New Construction
• Platinum
• UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management (2002)
• UCD Tahoe Environmental Research Center (2007)
• Gold
• UCI Palo Verde Expansion (2007)
• UCM Central Plant (2007)
• UCM Kolligian Library (2007)
• Silver
• UCM Garden Suites and Lakeview Dining (2007)
• UCLA LaKretz Hall (2006)
• Certified
• UCSB Marine Science Research Building (2006)
LEED for Existing Buildings
• Silver
  • UCSB Girvetz Hall (2005)
  • UCOP Franklin Street Building (2007)
LEED for Commercial Interiors
• Certified
  • UCSF HSW Dentistry Lab (2005)

• Presidential Policy on Sustainable Practices
• Green Building Feasibility Study (pdf)
• Procedures for Implementation of Green Building Policy
• Annual Reports on UC Policy on Sustainable Practices 2007 2006 2005 2004

Best Practice Case Studies – LEED for Existing Buildings:

• LEED-EB Documentation

Best Practice Case Studies – Labs:

• Veterinary Medicine Instructional Facility
  
• This project was the winner of the 2005 Higher Education Energy Efficiency Partnership Program Best Practice Award for Best Overall Sustainable Design.

• Donald Bren Hall at UC Santa Barbara
  Some additional lessons learned:
• Overlooked the amount of lighting needed. Bren Hall is a large contributor to light pollution. The campus has de-lamped the building and are working on ways to reduce lighting that exits off the site.
• On the lab exhaust the campus installed VFD to prevent the breaking of fan belts. We received an innovation credit for exhaust stacks to stage to meet the demand and the system only had fast starts.
• Landscaping could have provided more shading of the building.
• Most important - Start the greening process from the beginning. Bren Hall started pursuing green building goals in the 50% CD phase. Starting early reduces costs and allows the building to have an opportunity for receiving more points.


• HSW School of Dentistry Renovation at UC San Francisco (pdf)
• Charles Darwin Hall at Sonoma State University

• Units I + II at UC Berkeley

• Fly Ash - Wurster Hall renovation at UC Berkeley

• UC Berkeley’s new Green Building Research Center and case studies of best practice award winners
• AASHE Green Building Resource Center
• National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Program – Building Design
• University Leaders for a Sustainable Future – some campus green building websites
• U.S. Green Building Council
• Emerging Green Builders – for students and young professionals interested in green building

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