University of Texas at Dallas Wins the 2011 Innovation in Green Building Award

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), along with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), awarded the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) with the 2011 Innovation in Green Building award. The college received this award for its newly constructed, LEED Platinum Certified Student Services Building.

This award recognizes a college like UTD that is an innovator in using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) to develop a green campus.

The newly constructed, four-story, 74,000 square ft. building houses 14 departments. The cost of building the Student Services Building was under $1.1 million.

The Student Services Building was designed with several project goals and outcomes:


Texas Temperatures- We all know how hot it can get here in Texas during the summer! The design team chose to install terra-cotta louvers on the outside of the building. They protect the building from the rays of the sun, and reduce heat gain as well


Making Use of Natural Daylight- Another important aspect of construction was controlling light and solar heat gain while providing daylight to most interior spaces. Approximately 76% of the rooms inside the building are afforded natural daylight.


Conserving Rain Water- The design of the building incorporates water conservation measures ranging from automatic sensors in faucets to outdoor systems. In the event of a thunderstorm, or even a light shower, rain water is collected in a two-tank, 40,000 gallon cistern to irrigate the Student Service's Building's drought-tolerant landscaping.


Doing Less With More- Sharing conference rooms and reducing the number of individual offices in the SSB allowed designers to dedicate 73 percent of the building’s space for specific service purposes. The remainder, including hallways and equipment closets, serves general operational purposes.

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