The Building You Never Thought Could Be LEED

LOS ANGELES—At this point, we know that LEED certified buildings can be architectural icons, historic monuments and the gamut in between. Now, science buildings, which are known for their copious energy use, are earning LEED placards as well. The new life sciences building at Loyola Marymount—a $110 million development project—is poised to earn a LEED Gold certification. Boasting a stunning glass façade and glass interior lab rooms, the new building features some of the latest sustainable technology to accomplish the challenging feat.

“Sustainability was a key focus on the project,” Matthew Wilt, project manager at C.W. Driver in Los Angeles, the builder on the project, tells GlobeSt.com. “We were given the task of creating a LEED accredited building, and that is a challenge with a science building. Because you have a lot of equipment and a lot more lights and sinks that use energy and resources, science buildings typically don't lend themselves to LEED certification. Between all of people working on this project, we were able to achieve a very substantial LEED score, and we are targeting LEED Gold.” They will hear a response next month with the official accreditation.

To reduce energy consumption, despite the functional requirements of the building, C.W. Driver worked with the project architect CO Architects and the school to develop a long list of energy-saving essentials. As a result, the project features independent lighting control in all of the staff offices as well as operable windows to allow in fresh air. The property has a smart system, so it knows to turn off the air when the window opens or to turn off the lights when there isn't anyone in the room. Other features include a daylight harvesting system to use as much natural light as possible and LED lighting, for energy efficacy when lights do need to be turned on. One of Wilt's favorite features, though, is the property's air conditioning system, which distributes cold air evenly, rather than in a corner of a room, and recycles air in the room to maintain the temperature.

The 100,000-quare-foot building houses faculty and research staff from the of biology, chemistry and biochemistry, health and human sciences, civil engineering and environmental science departments. It has 35 teaching labs, 40 faculty and staff offices, 9 informal student study spaces, a green roof and an outdoor laboratory, three conference rooms and a 273-fixed-seat auditorium. Construction on the project began in 2013.

The school played a huge role in conceiving the idea for the project. “Tina Choe, the dean of the Frank R. Seaver College of Engineering at LMU, famously says, 'science on display,' and I think that was really the inspiration for the project,” says Wilt. “The school really had a vision to make an open space, rather than closed off spaces tucked away from the rest of the population. CO Architects created all-glass storefronts to all of the labs, so as you are walking down the main corridor, you can look into the labs and almost participate with what is going on without getting in the way of anybody. The idea was really to get people excited about science. That was one of the biggest priorities.”