by Brianna Crandall — September 30, 2016 — Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) recently announced that the University of Texas at El Paso’s (UTEP) Campus Transformation Project was awarded Silver certification under the Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES) rating system, and is the first project to certify under SITES v2. Owned and administered by GBCI, SITES is considered the most comprehensive program for sustainable land development, and aligns land development and management with innovative design.
The SITES redesign on UTEP’s campus as part of the Campus Transformation Project converted parking lots, roads and unusable sloped landscapes into an 11.57-acre community landscape and meeting space in the center of campus. The core of the project is Centennial Plaza and Centennial Green, which include richly detailed outdoor gathering spaces that feature a performance lawn and a 130-seat amphitheater, desert gardens, vegetated bioswales that mimic natural arroyos, walking paths and a diverse array of trees, shrubs and perennial plants native to the Chihuahuan desert.
The 10-year project converted parking lots and an unusable sloped area into a 12-acre community landscape and meeting space, improving safety and circulation while building a sense of community. Photo courtesy of Jordan Foster Construction
The 10-year project created a continuous pedestrian environment that uses walkways, bike paths, and green spaces to knit together campus buildings, improve circulation to and from campus, increase pedestrian safety, and create more inviting gathering spaces on an inner campus that was previously dominated by vehicles. This more appealing campus environment and the sense of community it builds is expected to help foster student success, notes Jordan Foster Construction, the general contractor.
The green infrastructure and landscape design techniques also increased the vegetative area of the site by 60 percent. The project, which was rated on a number of areas including site design, construction, operations and maintenance, received the maximum amount of points for innovation.
The core of the SITES v2 project, Centennial Plaza and Centennial Green, includes outdoor gathering spaces: a performance lawn and a 130-seat amphitheater, desert gardens, vegetated bioswales that mimic natural arroyos, and walking paths. GBCI photo via Jordan Foster Construction
The SITES rating system provides a metrics-based approach to important concepts such as ecosystem services and green infrastructure so that developers and owners can make informed decisions about their land use. Used by landscape architects, engineers, architects, developers and policy makers, SITES creates regenerative systems and fosters resiliency; ensures future resource supply and mitigates climate change; transforms the market through design, development and maintenance practices; enhances human well-being; and strengthens the community, says GBCI.
Greg McNicol, UTEP’s associate vice president for business affairs, Facilities Management, added:
The benefits of the Campus Transformation project go beyond sustainable landscapes. Research shows that landscapes can provide mental health, cognitive function and stress reduction benefits, which is especially important in a collegiate setting. Through the Campus Transformation Project, we hope to not only strengthen our sustainability priorities, but also create a community gathering space for our students and faculty.
SITES was developed through the collaborative, interdisciplinary efforts of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden. The rating system can be applied to development projects located on sites with or without buildings, and draws on the experience gained from a two-year pilot program involving more than 100 projects. A full 46 of these pilot projects have achieved certification, including landscape projects at corporate headquarters, national and city parks, academic campuses and private homes.
The project team for the Campus Transformation Project includes: Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, Inc. (prime consultant, landscape architect); Quantum Engineering Consultants (civil engineer); AEC (structural engineer); EEA (MEP engineer); Lake|Flato Architects (architect); Aqua Irrigation (irrigation designer); RLB (cost control consultant); Altura Solutions (accessibility consultant); Biohabitats (ecological engineer); Regenerative Environmental Design (sustainability consultant); Yarnell & Assoc. (lighting designer); LAS (local site reviewer); and Jordan Foster Construction (general contractor).
