Governor to attend groundbreaking Nov. 16
Although "green" buildings have been a part of Northern Arizona University's future construction plans, the institution is now shooting for "platinum."

An artist's rendering of the exterior of the new Applied Research and Development Building, projected to be completed in February of 2006.

The planned Applied Research and Development building, which will have its ground breaking ceremony at 2 p.m. Nov. 16, is seeking a platinum rating for environmental design from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building rating system.

A platinum rating would make it only the second university building in the nation to have such a rating. The University of California-Santa Barbara is the other.

Gov. Janet Napolitano, NAU President John Haeger and several state, local and university dignitaries will gather in the parking lot of NAU's Information Technology Services building to break ground on a project that not only will feature the latest in energy-efficient construction but will also provide a home to NAU's environmental programs.

"NAU already has an established reputation for its academic programs and research that center on issues related to the environment," Haeger said. "It's only natural for the campus to reflect our commitment to an environmentally sensitive learning environment for our students."

The construction was made possible with state funding through the Research Infrastructure Bill (HB2529), a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration and private donations.

"The Applied Research and Development facility will be a teaching building that demonstrates sustainable features such as water conservation, alternative energy practices, and a design that takes advantage of natural light and natural ventilation," said Karan English, coordinator for NAU's Center for Sustainable Environments.

The ARD building is aligned with Napolitano's mandate that state agencies, including universities, reduce utility consumption by 10 percent per square foot by 2008 and 15 percent per square foot by 2011.

Among the building's features:

• ARD will lessen electrical consumption as a result of increased natural "daylighting," and assist heating and cooling systems by natural means.
• It will reduce the use of potable water by 90 percent.
• The ARD building will use materials that normally end up in a landfill, including recycled steel and recycled flooring materials. It also will use flooring developed from a sustainable bamboo forest in Arizona and wood from a certified sustainable forest from the White Mountain Apache tribe
• Twenty percent of the buildings energy will come from renewable energy sources, primarily from solar and wind generation.
• The building will be used as a teaching tool to demonstrate sustainable design principles and methods. It will also be used for environmental and sustainable research.

The so-called LEED system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a nationally accepted certification standard for developing high-performance sustainable buildings. The rating system is divided into three levels: green is the first level, followed by gold and platinum.

The ARD facility is designed to support the campus master plan by consolidating and centralizing environmental programs on campus.