NAU President John Haeger cuts the ribbon to the ARD building with the help of Fred Boice, left, president of the Arizona Board of Regents, Ernest Calderón, right, vice president of ABOR, and Bruce Nordstrom, who heads Nordstrom & Associates CPAs in Flagstaff and serves on the APS board of directors.

Green being: NAU opens
Earth-friendly ARD building

View photos from the event.

The sliding glass panels on the first floor of the Applied Research and Development building stood wide open, aptly bringing the outside in as Northern Arizona University marked the official grand opening of the university's signature building.

"The Applied Research and Development building is an extraordinary example of what it means to be a steward of place," said NAU President John Haeger. "The teaching and learning we do today will have profound impact in generations to come as we grapple with complex ecological problems."

The main lobby was filled Sept. 27 with NAU faculty, staff, friends, members of the Arizona Board of Regents and local dignitaries. Students studying with NAU professor Paul Keim gave tours of his lab decked out in HAZMAT suits.

Rich Bowen, associate vice president for economic development, and Richard Baron, the ARD manager, also gave tours and answered technical questions about the 59,821-square-foot building on NAU's central campus.

NAU is on track to earn a "Platinum" rating, the highest possible, from the Leadership Energy and Environment Design building rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council.

"This building showcases the latest in high-performance construction technology, energy efficiency and use of renewable energy resources," Haeger said. "This will be the first high-elevation Platinum building—no easy task to accommodate for the snow, ice, cold and ultraviolet exposure that comes with our 7,000-foot elevation."

The Platinum rating is expected to be part of NAU's anticipated trilogy of LEED ratings, including "Gold" for The W.A. Franke College of Business building and "Silver" for the Engineering building.

Energy sources for the building include a photovoltaic solar power system donated by Arizona Public Service that provides at least 20 percent of its electricity. Automatic shade controls and a "heat exchanger" regulate the building's temperature.

Haeger announced that the building's three-story-tall open lobby area will now be known as the APS Atrium.

Mark Wilhelm, founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council's Arizona Chapter and green building expert, attended the ceremony and said NAU is a good example of a university "going green."

"What sets NAU apart is that it is not just committed to building green, climate mitigation efforts and research are an important part of its curriculum, too," Wilhelm said. "NAU is walking the walk in terms of being environmentally focused."