The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded LEED Gold certification to the new College Park Center at The University of Texas at Arlington, further affirming the University’s role as a leader in implementing sustainable, cost-effective design.
The $78 million, 7,000-seat special events center opened in February. Already, it has hosted numerous basketball and volleyball games as well as a Drake concert and a Maverick Speaker Series appearance by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. University commencement ceremonies and those of many area high schools will be staged at the center through early June.
HKS Inc. designed College Park Center, incorporating recycled construction materials, natural light and many energy-saving features. The company’s application for LEED certification received a perfect score – earning all 42 points for which the firm applied.
“This is wonderful news and recognition that large, public spaces can be articulated in a way that embraces their environment,” said James D. Spaniolo, UT Arlington president. “We are pleased to be able to say that our University is helping set the standard for sustainable design.”
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, certification is an independent, third-party verification that a structure was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of environmental health, sustainability, water and energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Last year, UT Arlington’s new, 234,000-square-foot Engineering Research Building was certified as a LEED Gold project. Earlier this year, The Green at College Park, a 2.6-acre park on the south side of College Park Center, was one of the first three projects to be certified through the Sustainable Sites Initiative, a certification similar to LEED but focused on landscape design.
College Park Center has been cited for the way that the building interacts with The Green at College Park. Specialized soil, plants and design concepts in the park will allow for a more than 25-percent decrease in the amount of storm water runoff that would have been expected from the 218,000-square-foot events center.
Ralph Hawkins, HKS chairman and chief executive officer, called College Park Center a “world-class athletics and special events venue.”
“The center emphasizes energy efficiency, natural light and thoughtful landscaping in a new venue that defines the University’s eastern edge,” said Hawkins, who also serves as chairman of the UT Arlington Development Board. “The project is proof-positive that architecture and sustainability can co-exist in a premiere venue.”
