While “See Blue” serves as UK’s ubiquitous motto, the recently opened, state-of-the-art Davis Marksbury Building has the university excited about a different color: Gold.
The Marksbury Building, Phase II of the College of Engineering’s Digital Village Complex , recently received a LEED® Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED is the USGBC’s top rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient and high performing buildings. Of the four levels of LEED green building certification—Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum—the Marksbury Building achieved the second-highest rating. UK President Dr. Eli Capilouto commended the first achievement of its kind at UK. “As the University’s first LEED-certified Gold project…the Marksbury Building provides new space for innovative, multidisciplinary research and is the type of facility our undergraduate and graduate students require to prepare for jobs in a 21st century economy.”
The Gold certification accentuates the College of Engineering’s place at the forefront of environmentally-responsible innovation. Dean Thomas Lester remarked, “Given the College of Engineering’s role as a leader in advancing environmental-related research in efficient energy production, it is extremely appropriate that the Davis Marksbury Building—a building dedicated to engineering and computer science research—is not only the first LEED certified building on UK’s campus, but a Gold-certified building as well.”
| Personal Touch: CMTA Engineers provided seven full-time engineers to handle the mechanical and electrical engineering for the Marksbury Building. Of those seven engineers, six were UK College of Engineering graduates. In addition, four UK co-op students working at CMTA also contributed to the project. |
David Collins, UK Senior Project Manager for the Marksbury Building, praised the contributions of those who made the Gold certification possible. “The architects, engineers and construction managers spent a great deal of effort in planning and follow through to reach beyond the goal of LEED Silver that was originally targeted for this building,” he said. Rob Deal of JRA Architects, Project Administrator for the LEED submission effort, also observed that the Gold certification puts UK in elite company, since the commonwealth boasts only three other LEED Gold university buildings and only 14 LEED Gold buildings overall. “This raises the bar for new buildings on campus and elevates the University of Kentucky as a leader in green building development,” he stated.
The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design. Several of the Marksbury Building’s energy-conscious attributes address the rating system’s categories, such as an energy recovery system which distributes the heat emitting from the supercomputer room throughout the building during the colder months, photovoltaic (PV) collectors which convert sunlight energy into electrical power, a runoff system designed to water scenic indigenous plants and a ventilation system aimed at providing superior indoor air quality. Rob Proctor of RATIO Architects, said “Both the engineering profession and sustainable design initiatives seek to improve the quality of life for our community. Now, UK’s campus community will benefit from a building that not only respects its environment, but also showcases the creativity and passion for solving problems through engineering research.”
While UK celebrates the Gold certification, many in the engineering and computer science community believe seeking a top-tier rating is only fitting for a discipline whose contributions make the world a better place. Dean Lester connected the triumph of UK’s newest building to a broader ethos of caring for the planet’s resources. “The Marksbury Building demonstrates a commitment by the university and the college to sustainable solutions, not only for research buildings, but to construction and to life in general.”