Project Overview
UC Merced is focused on 2020 green building goals. The LEED Lab Engineering Service Learning team is assisting completing this goal with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Existing Buildings: Operation & Maitanance (LEED EB: O&M) certification on existing buildings. UC Merced prides itself on being “Green from the Ground Up,” and this project will help verify that motto. There is a need for ongoing management for the campus’ environmentally certified buildings.
LEED EB: O&M certification encourages owners of existing buildings to implement sustainable practices and improve operating efficiencies. Pursuing this certification demonstrates the university’s commitment to a green environment.
LEED Lab members are being trained to be the next generation of “green leaders “by working with stakeholders and staff that have been responsible for UC Merced’s sustainability practices. By providing this service for the campus’ sustainability efforts, students make themselves marketable in sustainability-related fields by attaining skills and knowledge needed to be effective communicators, project managers, critical thinkers, problem solvers, engaged leaders, and team players in the field of sustainability. By pursuing this project, members also have the opportunity to prepare for and take the LEED Green Associate (GA) or Accredited Professional (AP) exam to be credentialed in managing green building projects.
Accomplishments
The LEED Lab team completed Phase 1 of the EPICS Design Process: Project Identification during the last week of instruction. If not for the determination of the time constraints of the project, the team would have already reached Phase 2: Specification Development. However, this delay was due to the numerous credit summaries that had to be completed. There are a total of 59 credits to analyze. Before determining the time constraint for the project and progress past Gate 1 of the EPICS Design Process, every credit has to be evaluated in order to make an overall timeline for the completion of all the credits.
