This article was originally published on April 3, 2015 by the University of Denver Magazine.
The Anderson Academic Commons (AAC) building on the DU campus has received the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. The major renovation of Penrose Library into the Anderson Academic Commons was completed in 2013.
Chancellor Rebecca Chopp will join Nancy Allen, dean and director of the University libraries, and University Sustainability Coordinator Chad King to celebrate the achievement at a special event at 3 p.m. Monday, April 6, in the AAC Special Events Room.
From the beginning, Allen says, DU purposefully designed the project to increase efficiency, reuse or recycle materials and to make the building healthier for its occupants. The University learned last fall that AAC earned Silver—the LEED program’s third highest category—for “green” qualities, including a new high-efficiency heating and cooling system, water-conserving faucets and toilets, high-efficiency light fixtures and use of low-e glass windows. The AAC joins the Ricketson Law Building and Nagel Hall as the third LEED-certified building on campus. The other two buildings, as new constructions, earned LEED Gold status.
“LEED Silver is a real achievement for a renovation project, and the library is committed to continue our sustainability programming as we pursue LEED status for sustainable operations,” Allen says. “As we celebrate two years in the Anderson Academic Commons, we have seen a significant reduction in power consumption.”
Energy consumption for fiscal year 2014, in comparison to fiscal year 2011 (the last full year prior to the start of construction) was down by 48 percent, Allen says, which generated a savings of $98,000.
“We received Xcel Energy rebates in support of the installation of energy-efficient mechanical, heating and cooling systems, totaling over $90,000,” she says. “In 2014 our consumption of natural gas to meet the building heating requirements was 27 percent less than the year prior to renovation.”
Other energy-efficient improvements in the Anderson Academic Commons include: LED lighting systems, occupancy sensors in most rooms, including group study rooms and offices, roof sensors and timers for main lighting systems, water bottle fillers at the drinking fountains, green parking spaces for the library-assigned parking garage, additional bike racks and a shower in the AAC for bicycle commuters, zoned heating and cooling systems with central and local controls, recycled furniture from Penrose Library and tons of recycled steel repurposed from Penrose Library shelving into the AAC’s movable compact shelving.
