Borick Business Building Officially LEED Certified
June 23, 2008 -- An extraordinary moment, born of “what ifs,” happened this Friday when the Borick Business Building officially received the Silver LEED certification.
The Borick Business Building
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The dedication was awarded by the U.S Green Building Council.
This is the first building in the Gunnison County to receive a LEED designation. Borick is also the first privately funded building to be built on a college campus in Colorado.
About 40 people were in attendance at the ceremony, which included guests from the State of Colorado, Department of Higher Education, the Governor’s Energy Office, and Colorado State Representative Kathleen Curry.
Western State College Foundation and the Board of Trustees were also present at the event.
President Jay Helman addressed the crowd and spoke of when the building was just an idea around 2003. “We discussed ‘what ifs’. What if, we could build a privately funded academic building, and what if that building could be LEED certified?”
“This building demonstrates the commitment to environmental stewardship that the business program has,” Helman added.
Monica Newman, department chair of Business, Accounting and Economics, shared that sentiment. “This is a statement that is important for us to make. In today’s world everybody needs to pay attention to the environment.”
She added, “This building is symbolic of a broader concern that everyone on campus shares. The business department is committed to environmental consciousness.”
Newman also announced at the ceremony that a double major in Business and Environmental Studies is in the works. She reported that this may be available in the fall of 2009.
A plaque was placed in conjunction with the ceremony in the northeast corner on the first floor. It explains the efficiency features of the building. Among these features are: motion sensors in the rooms which reduce energy use, low flow toilets that save 36,000 gallons of water annually, roof tiles that have been re-used on the building from the renovation of other buildings on campus and the use of certified wood that was harvested in a sustainable way. The building is also so efficient that it does not require air conditioning.
The Borick Business Building will enter its second year of studies with the start of the fall semester.
Story by: Luke Mehall, assistant director of public relations
