FGCU’s Health Sciences Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification for ‘Green’ Design and Construction

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University’s (FGCU) state-of-the-art health sciences facility, Dr. Elaine Nicpon Marieb Hall, has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The building was built by Manhattan Construction and designed Harvard Jolly. SEQUIL Systems provided sustainability consulting services to facilitate the certification process.

The LEED rating system is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, which is the nation’s leading champion for ensuring a sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving “green” buildings.

Marieb Hall features the latest in technology to prepare students to excel in the health professions, including nursing, physical therapy, human performance, occupational therapy, community health and social work. The $28 million facility houses instructional and research labs that simulate an operating room, an intensive-care unit, a labor and delivery room and various medical suites where students can practice examinations and procedures on human simulators. It is named for Elaine Nicpon Marieb, a prominent author of textbooks on anatomy and physiology, who donated $5 million to FGCU for scholarships and continued growth in health sciences programs.

The Green Building Council evaluated the 60,000-square-foot building for site sustainability, water and energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and building materials, according to Professor Mitchell L. Cordova, Dean of the College of Health Professions and Social Work.

“This is a significant achievement for all of those who were involved in the planning, construction and finishing phases of Marieb Hall,” he said.

In the LEED category, resource reduction, Marieb Hall achieved the following efficiencies, according to SEQUIL:

• 27.5 percent savings in energy consumption and cost based on more efficient lighting and air-conditioning systems.
• 60 percent savings in water use based on the installation of low-flow toilets.
• 23 percent of building materials were manufactured using recycled content.
• 20 percent of construction materials were locally manufactured.
• 87 percent of all construction waste was diverted from landfills to recycling centers.

Marieb Hall, which opened in January 2012, is the fifth FGCU building to earn LEED certification. Manhattan Construction also built  the Academic Building 7, which is certified Platinum – the highest level, and two residence halls, Biscayne and Palmetto, which are certified Silver. The Music Building is rated Gold.

All major projects in the future will be designed and constructed where possible to uphold these standards and to earn LEED certification, according to FGCU President Wilson G. Bradshaw.

“This achievement is just the latest result of FGCU’s commitment to sustainability initiatives – not only in curriculum and degree programs but in facilities, landscaping and operations,” he said. “Sustainability is a cornerstone of the University’s mission, and we and value our position as a role model for the community.”

FGCU is committed to integrating environmental sustainability practices throughout the campus community. Its 15-acre solar field, built by Manhattan Construction, produces enough energy to power three academic buildings – the equivalent of hundreds of homes. The university’s Central Energy Plant features one of Florida’s largest ice thermal storage plants, which supplies the chilled water pumped through an underground network of pipes to cool campus buildings; the plant generates ice at night when public demand and utility rates for electricity are lower. FGCU’s three newest residence halls utilize hot water generated from rooftop tanks heated by the sun.

About Manhattan Construction:

Founded in 1896, Manhattan Construction is consistently recognized nationally by Engineering News-Record as a top 20 general builder. Manhattan Construction operates from offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Tampa, Kissimmee, Fla.; Washington, D.C.; and Atlanta, Ga. Manhattan Construction’s building portfolio includes corporate headquarters, institutional, healthcare, office, hospitality and leisure, sports and entertainment, aviation, retail, and judicial facilities throughout the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. For more information visit: www.manhattanconstruction.com or connect with us @ManhattanBuild, via Facebook/ManhattanConstruction and on LinkedIn.