The Admissions & Enrollment Services building features south-facing windows that allow for natural sunlight, reducing the need for energy-intensive artificial lighting. The building also has highly reflective rooftops to avoid heat absorption, which lowers the need for air-conditioning.
The combination of low-flow urinal fixtures, dual flush toilets, and automatic restroom faucets reduces yearly water consumption in the Admissions & Enrollment Services building by about 20,000 gallons per year. The landscape watering system was designed to use the least amount of water while maintaining that all plants get watered. Finally, the building has a system of rain gutters and bioswales to control runoff, which prevents soil erosion and ensures proper filtration of the water before it enters the city water system.
The Admissions & Enrollment Services building was built with low-VOC (volatile organic compound) content for all paints, flooring, adhesives, and sealants. All wood products used in construction also have a low-VOC content and are formaldehyde free.
All carpeting in the Admissions & Enrollment Services building is tiled carpeting, allowing for easy removal and replacement of small parts. Recycling bins throughout the building are intended to collect plastics #1-7, glass, aluminum, tin, mixed paper, and cardboard.
The majority of the furniture in the Admissions & Enrollment Services building is made in part from recycled content, and at least 90 percent of all furniture is recyclable. Also, nearly all of the furniture in the building was manufactured by Steelcase, an industry leader in sustainable manufacturing practices.
The construction process for the Admissions & Enrollment Services building was conducted carefully, and all refuse was hauled off in such a manner that 100 tons of waste material that would have otherwise gone to landfill were recycled instead. All of the materials and construction methods involved in the construction of the building are intended to reduce not only the waste involved in the construction process but also to increase the air quality of the finished building.
The Admissions & Enrollment Services building takes advantage of the SCU green power grid, which not only receives its power from a Green-E energy provider, but also has its own solar collection system which generates roughly 90,000 kilowatt hours of energy for the campus throughout the year.
Want to learn more? Join us for a tour! Please contact the Center for Sustainability to schedule a special tour for your group.