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

The planning team for the Arts and Transit Neighborhood has been challenged to incorporate 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 is designing for the creative and performing arts, it is anticipated that a combination of green roofs and geothermal wells will be incorporated into the plans. 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 Neighborhood will include numerous additional sustainability concepts. Landscape-based strategies under consideration include:

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

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 Lot 7 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.