What green building and site strategies will be included in the project?

The planning team for the Arts and Transit Project has incorporated numerous sustainability initiatives in their design process consistent with the University's ambitious Sustainability Plan. For example, in the plans for the building that Steven Holl designed for the creative and performing arts, it is anticipated that a combination of green roofs and geothermal wells will be incorporated. The project team is designing toward a goal of utilizing 50 percent less energy than required by current energy codes and an equivalency of LEED silver.

The overall site for the Arts and Transit Project will include numerous additional sustainability concepts. Landscape-based strategies under consideration include:

• Porous pavement to slow water runoff.
• Biofiltration swales and planters to filter water runoff.
• Landscaping to reduce heat island effects.
• Underground sand filters to remove particulates from water runoff.

Other sustainable strategies include roadway improvements that will reduce traffic congestion and gas consumption, which in turn will reduce carbon emissions. The plan's provision of a north entrance to the West Garage will reduce the vehicle miles traveled by 350 per day, as cars arriving to campus from the north will not have to loop past the garage to Faculty Road and double back to enter the garage from the south.

See the Sustainability section of this website for more information.