New OSU Football Parking Is Ultra Green
Ohio States new Student Academic Services Building and Parking Garage is only a few Hail-Mary passes from Ohio Stadium.
Its probably the closest indoor parking space to a Buckeye home game. And its environmentally friendly.
The SASB will be officially dedicated tomorrow morning (Thursday) with fanfare and a ceremony that includes OSU President E. Gordon Gee. In reality, its been open for months and its already saving energy and resources.
The buildings frame is made of 80-percent recycled steel. And nearly half of the building materials were made within 500 miles of Columbus which saves on shipping costs, fuel costs and emissions.
Even the wood and wood-grain finishes are earth-friendly because theyre made from eucalyptus. Yes, the same stuff koalas snack on.
For the same reason that its a really great, renewable wood for the animals, its a great wood for us, says OSU Associate Registrar Jack Miner. Its not currently overharvested. Its a wood that grows really, really quickly. And because of the tightness of the grain, it does a lot for energy efficiency.
Huge windows on each level let in lots of natural light. Private offices were positioned along the interior walls so the whole office could enjoy the sunshine. Cubicles are made from translucent materials
to let the light filter through and recycled-glass blocks in the lobby reflect the light back into the space. It all means less need for electric lights.
About an hour after everybody leaves, we actually power down all the lights. And then the next morning, they power back on about an hour before people come, Miner says. And that doesnt just apply to our light controls, but its also our heating and cooling.
To conserve space, several departments share conference rooms and kitchenettes. The restrooms are designed to save thousands of gallons of water. And construction crews used low-emission adhesives and paints.
The building is close to several bus lines and bike paths but if users want to drive, theyre encouraged to use low-emission vehicles. In fact, qualifying cars even get premium parking spaces with the Low Emission, Fuel-Efficient (LEFE) Parking Program.
Click here to download an Excel list and find out if your vehicle qualifies for a LEFE sticker and some sweet parking! The university says the Lane Avenue Garage will be open and available for football parking but pricing is yet to be determined.
Miner says making the building earth-friendly was important to the University as a community leader and as an educator.
Its one more education opportunity, he says. We look at ourselves as a land-grant institution that doesnt just educate our people in the classrooms. Every time theres an opportunity for us to talk about energy renewing and think about recycling and really put that out as a message for the university and for the people of the state, this is a great opportunity to do it.
Yeah, were spending a little bit more money but think of all the people that were educating on what they can do, Miner says. And little examples that everyone can do to be more responsible with the
environment.
The SASB and the Lane Avenue Parking Garage were designed to achieve Silver LEED Certification. They are currently under review by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and expect to receive formal certification soon.
The SASB will be officially dedicated tomorrow morning (Thursday) with fanfare and a ceremony that includes OSU President E. Gordon Gee. In reality, its been open for months and its already saving energy and resources.
The buildings frame is made of 80-percent recycled steel. And nearly half of the building materials were made within 500 miles of Columbus which saves on shipping costs, fuel costs and emissions.
Even the wood and wood-grain finishes are earth-friendly because theyre made from eucalyptus. Yes, the same stuff koalas snack on.
For the same reason that its a really great, renewable wood for the animals, its a great wood for us, says OSU Associate Registrar Jack Miner. Its not currently overharvested. Its a wood that grows really, really quickly. And because of the tightness of the grain, it does a lot for energy efficiency.
Huge windows on each level let in lots of natural light. Private offices were positioned along the interior walls so the whole office could enjoy the sunshine. Cubicles are made from translucent materials
to let the light filter through and recycled-glass blocks in the lobby reflect the light back into the space. It all means less need for electric lights.
About an hour after everybody leaves, we actually power down all the lights. And then the next morning, they power back on about an hour before people come, Miner says. And that doesnt just apply to our light controls, but its also our heating and cooling.
To conserve space, several departments share conference rooms and kitchenettes. The restrooms are designed to save thousands of gallons of water. And construction crews used low-emission adhesives and paints.
The building is close to several bus lines and bike paths but if users want to drive, theyre encouraged to use low-emission vehicles. In fact, qualifying cars even get premium parking spaces with the Low Emission, Fuel-Efficient (LEFE) Parking Program.
Click here to download an Excel list and find out if your vehicle qualifies for a LEFE sticker and some sweet parking! The university says the Lane Avenue Garage will be open and available for football parking but pricing is yet to be determined.
Miner says making the building earth-friendly was important to the University as a community leader and as an educator.
Its one more education opportunity, he says. We look at ourselves as a land-grant institution that doesnt just educate our people in the classrooms. Every time theres an opportunity for us to talk about energy renewing and think about recycling and really put that out as a message for the university and for the people of the state, this is a great opportunity to do it.
Yeah, were spending a little bit more money but think of all the people that were educating on what they can do, Miner says. And little examples that everyone can do to be more responsible with the
environment.
The SASB and the Lane Avenue Parking Garage were designed to achieve Silver LEED Certification. They are currently under review by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and expect to receive formal certification soon.
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