LEED Gold Certification

The Campus Recreation Center at UCCS is the first public building in southern Colorado to earn Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design gold certification status from the U.S. Green Building Council.  The building is the second LEED gold-certified recreation center in the nation.  LEED is the Green Building Council’s rating system for designing and constructing the greenest, most energy efficient and high-performing buildings

To get more information on LEED, as well as the UCCS Campus Recreation Center please take a few moments to visit this interactive website, which is also available on a touch screen in the recreation center lobby:  http://www.uccs.edu/~kiosk/reccenter/index.html

Some of the highlights of the sustainable construction and operation of the recreation center include:

• Solar thermal panels that convert solar energy to heat water for the swimming pool
• High efficiency glass that allows light in while reducing solar heat gain
• In-place concrete form (ICF) walls that provide the building with a high energy efficiency
• Low chemical paints, adhesives, sealants, and carpets were used in the construction
• Efficient landscaping reduces need for watering
• A reflective roof to minimize “heat island” effect
• Low flow toilet and sink fixtures cut down on facility water use, the rec center uses 38% less water than comparable buildings
• Where possible, unused construction materials were recycled instead of being added to a landfill
• Highly efficient building heating and cooling systems reduce energy expenditures, the recreation center is 30% more energy efficient than comparable buildings