February 7, 2023

The Delta College Downtown Midland Center has achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) gold level certification.

LEED is a green building rating system that provides a framework for healthy, efficient and cost-saving buildings. The achievement is quite a feat as the stringent guidelines LEED version 4 and 4.1 credits for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) New Construction guide required achieving more than 60 points out of 100 for gold level certification.

For the building project to integrate sustainability into the design, site and orientation analyses were conducted, and energy modeling was used throughout all phases of the design.

“We are excited about achieving the LEED Gold certification level on our Downtown Midland Center. Although this is our second Gold certified project, it is the first time we have achieved it under the newer more stringent requirements,” said Anthony Khalil, planning and construction manager. “This is a testament to the expertise and care of the Tower Pinkster design team, the dedicated efforts of Spence Brothers Construction, and the hard work of all the trades that participated.

The building uses 40% less water in comparison to a typical building. The following energy efficiency measures put in place helped to achieve an energy reduction of 40% compared to a baseline: laboratory exhaust energy recovery, dedicated outdoor air system, high-efficiency boilers, variable speed fans and pumps, and an LED lighting control system.

“Indoor air quality and occupant comfort aren’t just LEED benchmarks to us, they’re features that make our facilities healthier places for our students, faculty, staff and community members to be. That is important to us,” Khalil said.

The project used more than 75 materials with product declarations, more than 50 products with ingredient reports and more than 42% of materials were made from recycled materials or wood products. During construction, the project reduced the amount of waste sent to landfill by 65%. The indoor environment was achieved using low emitting materials, natural lighting, quality views and highly controlled lab spaces with exhaust holds.

Khalil praised Delta College as “a leader of innovation.”

“It’s important to us that we stay at the forefront of sustainable practices, functioning as responsible stewards of the Earth,” he said. “Energy and water use reduction are not only good for the environment, they’re also good for our bottom line: helping us to continue being the best value for higher education in our region.”

By Ashley Terrell, Writer