Sustainable Building Policy
Purpose
In keeping with Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ University’s commitment to be a national leader in sustainability to establish the
University standard for incorporation of sustainable practices into the process of project planning, design, and
construction and to describe the process by which policy application decisions are made.
Policy Statement
Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ University is committed to managing its impact on the environment through strategic initiatives to
reduce energy and resource consumption and to eliminate waste. One of the key means is to incorporate
sustainable practices into all construction projects regardless of scope or cost by creating a process and tools to
support project managers, supervisors and shop staff in considering and implementing sustainable choices. This
process will be flexible to reflect the scope of the project and the corresponding opportunity for sustainable
measures but will support the Green Building polices enacted by the and the City of Chicago. In new construction Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ University and our contracted architects and engineers will target LEED for New Construction (NC) at the Gold or Platinum level when it is fiscally responsible to do so, and in major renovations or retrofits, the University and contractors will explore if LEED NC or LEED for Commercial Interiors (CI) is an appropriate target based on project scope and systems impacted.
Project Applicability
- Tier 1 - Up to $25,000 – Project managers and shop supervisors should ensure that projects adhere to the
Sustainability Guidelines in the Facilities Design and Construction Standards. Questions may be directed to the Office of Sustainability. - Tier 2 - $25,001 - $1,000,000 OR any project involving lighting or mechanical systems – Project Manager will
submit a Sustainability Assessment form at which point the Office of Sustainability will determine if the project requires a review session with the appropriate stakeholders (e.g. Facilities staff, architects, engineers, and/or customers). The appropriate LEED checklist may be used to provide guidance. - Tier 3 - $1,000,001 - $10,000,000 – Project Manager should submit a Sustainability Assessment form and
schedule a Sustainability Review Session (SRS) with the Facilities Office of Sustainability and conduct a LEED checklist-compliant sustainable design review as a part of the pre-schematic design process. Where deemed appropriate, the Office of Sustainability may recommend pursuit of LEED certification. - Tier 4 - $10,000,001 and up – Project Manager and Architect should conduct a full LEED charette which should include all relevant stakeholders. Most projects of this size will be required to obtain a minimum of LEED silver with LEED gold being the preferred target.
This policy, effective July 1, 2014, applies to projects led by Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ University Facilities on University
owned properties including Housing and Athletics.
Exceptions
Exceptions to this policy may occur with the consensus of the Director of Sustainability and/or the Directors of
Facilities Operations and Maintenance of Facilities Design and Construction but should only be considered in rare
circumstances.