2014 Best Practice Awards
For the tenth consecutive year, the Best Practice Awards acknowledged sustainable best practices across UC and CSU campuses. These project summaries are provided to share both successes and lessons learned with peers throughout these university systems, and beyond.
This year the awards were announced at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) 2014 that took place at UC San Diego, June 16-20, 2014.
|
Best Overall Sustainable Design |
|
UC Davis Jess S. Jackson
Sustainable Winery Building
This latest addition to UC Davis’ viticulture teaching and research complex
reaches new levels for sustainability with innovative passive design, on-site
water capture and reuse. The project is expected to achieve zero-net energy
certification through the Living Building Challenge.
|
Download case study (PDF) |
|
|
San Diego State Conrad Prebys
Aztec Student Union
When San Diego State University outgrew their student union, the student body made a bold statement using a familiar architectural vocabulary. California’s largest LEED Platinum education building combines high performance with an enduring architectural style and state-of-the-art facilities. |
Download case study (PDF) |
|
Best HVAC Design/Retrofit |
|
UC Davis, Plant and Environmental Science (PES) Lab Energy Retrofit
UC Davis took advantage of recently installed lighting occupancy sensors and conducted detailed wind tunnel analysis to reduce energy use 36 percent while ensuring occupant safety. The retrofit combined reduced airflow rates, variable frequency drives, direct digital controls, and advanced control strategies. |
Download case study(PDF) |
|
|
CSU Stanislaus Naraghi Hall
Lab Ventilation Improvement
CSU Stanislaus installed a contaminant measurement system in laboratory
spaces in the LEED Silver-certified Naraghi Hall building. The system maintains
ventilation rates that meet safety requirements as efficiently as possible, saving
an average of $73,800 per year in this multi-use building. |
Download case study (PDF) |
|
Best Lighting Design/Retrofit |
|
UC Santa Cruz Laboratory
Lighting Conversion Project
A lighting and controls retrofit at UC Santa Cruz is expected to provide energy
savings of 40 to 70 percent, while meeting the safety and control needs of the
lab users. The work involved detailed evaluation of control technologies and
computer simulations to provide suitable illumination levels and distribution. |
Download case study (PDF) |
|
|
CSU Dominguez Hills Welch Hall
Lighting Controls Retrofit
A pilot installation of a wireless lighting control system produced convincing
energy savings with ease of implementation. A student-led evaluation of the
technology provided the case for deploying it in several additional buildings
throughout campus, leading to thousands of dollars in annual energy savings. |
Download case study (PDF) |
|
Monitoring-Based Commissioning (MBCx) |
|
Monitoring-Based Commissioning at
UC San Diego Clinical Teaching Facility
A thorough monitoring-based commissioning program reduced energy use in a multi-purpose teaching and research facility by 33 percent, leading to
annual savings of over $200,000. Corrective actions included correcting BMS overrides and repair and replacement of faulty equipment. |
Download case study (PDF) |
|
|
Monitoring-Based Commissioning at
Cal State University
Dominguez Hills Welch Hall
Effective project management by campus staff and consultants expedited a stalled MBCx process, and in the process corrected scheduling errors, inaccurate sensor readings, and equipment faults. The combined energy saving measures resulted in total energy savings of 25 percent. |
Download case study (PDF) |
|
Water Efficiency & Site Water Quality |
|
UCSF Research Laboratories
Water Efficiency Program
UC San Francisco engaged laboratory staff and vendors in a comprehensive
analysis of its existing water-using lab equipment and processes. The project
team identified and installed equipment retrofits and changes that are
expected to save 3.6 million gallons of water and $47,000 annually. |
Download case study (PDF) |
|
|
California State University San Marcos
Comprehensive Water Conservation Program
CSU San
Marcos has taken aggressive measures to meter and conserve water consumption at multiple
scales. From campus-wide submetering to training on low water fixtures, these efforts
have led to a remarkable net water use reduction across campus. |
Download case study (PDF) |
|
Sustainability Innovations |
|
UC Berkeley Cal Climate Action Partnership (CalCAP)
By implementing hundreds of energy efficiency projects across campus, a broadly based
coalition of students, staff, faculty and administrators at UC Berkeley reduced carbon
emissions to 1990 levels, meeting state-wide goals a full eight years ahead of schedule. This
project sets the stage for meeting a new goal of carbon neutrality for UC campuses by 2025. |
Download case study (PDF) |
|
|
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Sustainable Energy
and Infrastructure Initiative
Integrating academic and facilities planning, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is taking advantage of sustainable energy and infrastructure projects on campus to
benefit the teaching and research curricula. This synergistic and collaborative approach serves as a valuable model for other departments and campuses. |
Download case study (PDF) |
|
Credits: The 2014 Best Practice Award case studies were edited by David Lehrer of the Green Building Research Center. Contributing authors include Katie Ackerly, Noelle Cole, Gwen Fuertes, Miriam Landman and Chris Hammer. |