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SLTC is Golden

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CONWAY, Ark. (July 14, 2010) – Hendrix College’s new $26 million Student Life and Technology Center has been certified as LEED-Gold by the Green Building Certification Institute, becoming the first college in Arkansas to receive this environmentally-friendly distinction, according to the Arkansas chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 77,000 square-foot building, which opened in January, includes the state-of-the-art Oathout Educational Technology Center and numerous specialized technology clusters throughout the building while incorporating all student life elements of the college, from the dining room to The Burrow, a social gathering and activity place for students. The building was constructed through the college’s $100 million capital campaign, "A Commitment to National Leadership."

"This is an honor that our entire community will celebrate, recognizing Hendrix’s desire to not only promote Green-friendly initiatives, but to live them through our newest building on campus," Hendrix College President Tim Cloyd said. "A tremendous amount of work went into achieving this goal."

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the recognizable industry standard for sustainability. There are several levels of certification including a basic-level certification to platinum-level which represents the ultimate in environmental sustainability.

Some of the most noticeable Sustainable advances in the SLTC include:

  • Reducing Water Use by 60 Percent – Efficient fixtures such as sensor faucets, dual-flush toilets, and waterless urinals, which are actually more sanitary than their water-using counterpart, reduce Hendrix’s water consumption by more than 140,000 gallons. Whereas LEED standards for new buildings traditionally advise a 20-30 percent reduction in water use, the SLTC will reduce water use by 60 percent.
  • Drought-Tolerant Vegetation – Hendrix reduced water use even further by planting drought-tolerant vegetation around the SLTC and installing a highly efficient drip irrigation system for watering and landscape maintenance.
  • Quality Air Planning – The SLTC provides a salutary work environment through indoor air quality controls. An Indoor Air Quality plan was implemented during construction to preclude the spread of mold, dust, mildew, or contaminants. The SLTC also employs a high efficiency filtration system and individual thermal and lighting controls to improve the health and well-being of occupants and visitors.
  • Green-Friendly Roof – The roof on the SLTC has a high solar reflectance index, displaying the roof’s ability to reflect the heat of the sun off the building instead of absorbing it, creating lower utility usage and costs.
  • Natural Light and Energy Consumption – The SLTC has also be designed with many windows to provide plenty of natural light, keeping the building warmer or cooler, depending on the season. Overall, these measures are intended to reduce the amount of energy used by nearly 20 percent off a benchmark standard.
  • Recycled Materials – At least 20 percent of the materials used to construct the SLTC include post-consumer and post-industrial recycled content, while more than 75 percent of the total construction waste from the building process was diverted from landfills. Hendrix was the first in Arkansas to use the grounded gypsum wallboard (drywall) waste as topsoil fill in the landscaping of The Village at Hendrix, a mixed-use neighborhood being constructed adjacent to Hendrix’s campus.
  • Alternative Transportation – With a goal to promote the use of alternative transportation to reduce the impact of automobile use, the SLTC includes easy access to bicycle storage areas and showering and changing facilities in the building. In order to promote carpooling, no new parking lot was built on the SLTC site. Instead, the building staff and students will share existing parking across campus. Also, specific parking spaces near the building are designated for alternatively fueled cars.

Cloyd credited the "LEED Team," which included four students – Taylor Kidd of Carthage, Texas; Catherine Lilly of Fayetteville; Lauren Ricci of Needham, Mass.; and Alex Schroller of Bellaire, Texas. The team was heavily involved in designing the educational components for LEED certification and advocated strongly for the optional measurement and verification for future research by Hendrix students. The team was led by Karla Carney-Hall, the college’s Vice President for Student Affairs; Joyce Hardin, the Judy and Randy Wilbourn Odyssey Professor of Biology, and Lawrence Finn, Hendrix’s Director of Construction and Development. The LEED Team was a project through Your Hendrix Odyssey, and engaged-learning program at Hendrix that allows students to design their own outside-the-classroom learning experiences.

"Fundamental to the success of any LEED project, particularly achieving Gold or Platinum status is collaboration," Finn said. "The success is attributed to years of hard work by the Hendrix team, Kirchner and Associates, TME, Inc., and Nabholz Construction."

"It has been exciting to be a part of this process and see it from the beginning to this point," said Kidd, a senior American Studies major. "It’s a positive step for Hendrix and we hope it’s an inspiration for other projects like this."

The SLTC includes offices and work space for student organizations, programming areas for the Hendrix community, and a café, game room, and post office on the first floor of the building. The second floor houses a new dining hall, kitchen, servery, and small dining rooms. In addition, there are conference rooms and seminar rooms throughout the building. Offices are located on both floors and include Academic Support Services, Your Hendrix Odyssey, Religious Life, and Student Affairs. The college’s radio station, student newspaper offices, yearbook, and other student-related organizations are also housed in the building.

The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) is an independent, third-party organization committed to ensuring precision in the design, development, and implementation of the processes used to increase and measure green building performance (certification) and green building practice (credentialing). Established in 2008 to administer project certifications and professional credentials and certificates within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating Systems™, GBCI offers the marketplace the highest-level validation that LEED building certifications and LEED professional credentials have met specific, rigorous criteria.

Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is featured in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country’s best 371 colleges, was identified as the nation’s top "Up and Coming" liberal arts college for 2010 by U.S. News and World Report, and is ranked among 44 "Best Buy" colleges by the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.

LEED Projects in Arkansas

Source: U.S. Green Building Council’s Arkansas Chapter  

Platinum

  • Heifer International Center, Little Rock
  • William Jefferson Clinton Center, Little Rock
  • SESI Addition and Renovation, Rogers

Gold

  • Hendrix College Student Life and Technology Center, Conway  
  • Camp Aldersgate Commons Building, Little Rock
  • Winrock International New Office Building, Little Rock
  • Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, North Little Rock
  • Beaver Water District Administration Building, Lowell
  • Caldwell Toyota, Conway
  • Mars Petcare Arkansas Plant, Fort Smith
  • Baldwin and Shell Office Building, Little Rock

Silver

  • Fayetteville Public Library, Fayetteville
  • William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center (2), Little Rock
  • Bethel Middle School, Little Rock
  • Hurricane Creek Elementary School, Benton
  • New Office for Benchmark Group, Rogers
  • BioBased Corporate Headquarters, Fayetteville
  • AEP’s Rogers Service Center, Rogers
  • Wooster Elementary School, Greenbrier

Certified

  • Innovation Center, Fayetteville
  • Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, Little Rock
  • Sylamore Ranger District Office, Mountain View
  • Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office, Little Rock
  • Arkansas Support Network, Springdale
  • Pulaski County Road and Bridge Department, Little Rock
  • Hanesbrands Inc. at Bentonville Plaza, Bentonville
  • Metro Lot 13A, Rogers
  • Horizon Group USA, Bentonville