Purdue’s first green building is now under way!  The building will be an addition to the Mechanical Engineering (ME) Building, and will be constructed to meet environmental standards set by the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council (LEED certification).

The $33 million, 41,000-square-foot Roger B. Gatewood Wing addition will include flexible classrooms, student commons and research labs, and will increase ME’s space by 55 percent.  Purdue is researching and considering numerous items that will help the building meet the green certification criteria.  These include:

• Roofing supplies with a high Solar Reflectance Index
• Plumbing fixtures that use less treated water
• Construction materials with recycled content
• Carpet that is Green Label Plus rated
• Wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council
• Paint and sealants with low volatile-organic-chemical ratings (reducing indoor air pollutants and improving air quality)

Construction of the building will start in fall 2008 or spring 2009 with an anticipated occupancy date of fall 2010 or spring 2011.

Additional green campus features include:

• Installed porous asphalt paving at Hort service drive
• Retro-commissioning of three buildings: Pierce, Beering and Stone Halls
• Bioswale implementation near Pao and Mann Halls
• Soy-based hydraulic oil used in elevators on campus
• Five LEED accredited professionals on Physical Facilities Staff
• Switchgrass for boiler feed - Project listed in National Wildlife Federation New Report: Higher Education in a Warming World - The Business Case for Climate Leadership on campus
• Food waste from residence halls used in experimental gasifier
• Utility metering project underway
• Renewable energy purchase of approximate 5400 MWh (2% of total use) of Benton County wind production