Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness Center Fieldhouse earns LEED Silver Certification
The newest addition to the Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness Center (VRWC), the Fieldhouse, has received a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—is a certification program that sets the standard for environmentally responsible construction.
The renovated VRWC opened to the campus community in January 2014. Upgrades to the building include the fieldhouse, demonstration kitchen, and bowling alley. The fieldhouse includes an indoor turf football field and a 300 meter track.
The use of natural light through the north and south facing window walls lessen the need for interior lighting in the fieldhouse. To supplement the natural light in the space, energy-efficient LEDs are installed in the space, including the high bay fieldhouse lighting. “During the initial phases of design the team planned on using high-efficiency/high discharge fluorescent lighting. However, as we were completing design, new LED high-bay luminaires showed up at the industry trade show LightFair. Upon further evaluation, we made the decision to install these state-of-the-art fixtures to provide the most efficient, long-lasting, and controllable lighting solution for the indoor practice facility. This was Vanderbilt’s 1st large-scale installation of athletic LED sports lighting, which were later used at Hawkins Field,” said Paul Marshall, University Architect.
In addition, the air conditioning units used in the fieldhouse recirculate conditioned air rather than using all outside air, improving efficiency of the system. Particular attention was paid to indoor environmental quality during construction and low-emitting materials were chosen when installing finishes such as paints, flooring, and adhesives.
VRWC brings Vanderbilt’s total number of LEED-certified projects to 17.
For more information on green building at Vanderbilt, please visit the Campus Planning and Construction website or the SustainVU website, contact sustainvu@vanderbilt.edu or call 615-322-9022.
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