While the Danforth University Center’s planners have made efforts for the building to be environmentally friendly, the center’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, which signifies how “green” the building is, will not occur until early 2010.

Four different levels of certification can be attained through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED): certified, silver, gold and platinum. Twenty-six points are required for basic LEED certification, while 52 points are required for the platinum level.

The LEED points planned for during the design phase of the Danforth University Center (DUC) were submitted prior to the completion of the building. The point count from this initial phase lies in the mid-20-point range. The remaining points that depend on the construction process, however, are still under review.

According to Matthew Malten, Washington University’s assistant vice chancellor for campus sustainability, some of the credits that are being pursued require 10 to 12 months of data collection in order to see how the DUC is actually performing. In addition, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is running two to six months behind schedule.

As a result of these time lags, Malten predicts that the certification process could take more than one year.

“We probably won’t know when the building is certified until somewhere around early 2010,” Malten said. “I’m hopeful we have it before 2010, but I think that’s the time frame people should have in mind.”

Although the parking structure below the DUC was not part of the LEED certification plan, a LEED credit was earned for the establishment of parking spaces solely for carpoolers and drivers of alternative fuel vehicles.

Under LEED, buildings can earn credits under the sustainable sites section for alternative transportation. The DUC is designed to provide secure storage for bicycle commuters and give those commuters the opportunity to shower. A LEED credit was earned also as a result of the proximity of the DUC to the MetroLink and bus routes.

According to Malten, some of the LEED credits earned by the DUC came from its construction process. The DUC earned a credit for recycling more than three-quarters of its construction waste and another for using local materials gathered from within a radius of 500 miles. Some construction processes used recycled content as well.

The DUC, which the University hopes will receive LEED gold certification—a total of 45 points—has been outfitted with many features that promote conservation.

To reduce the consumption of water, an underground water storage tank that captures storm water and pumps groundwater from underneath the building was created. The water collected in the tank is then used to irrigate the entire site. Low flow faucets and toilets were also installed in all of the bathrooms.

To curb the use of electricity, daylight sensors that dim the lights based on the amount of daylight entering the building were installed. In addition, to limit the use of nonrenewable resources, the floors in the DUC were constructed out of bamboo.

According to Bill Darby, director of the DUC, LEED certification involves a lot more than the characteristics of the building. It also involves the operation of the building.

“A lot of the systems in the building need tweaking,” Darby said. “We need to know when we want the lights to dim and go on. It’s going to be a while before we reach a steady state. In the non-steady state we are saving still energy. Once we reach the steady state, I anticipate we’ll be saving even more energy.”

According to Malten, all future structures built on campus will be LEED-certified.

“The University policy now is that all new construction be LEED-certified at the silver level at minimum,” Malten said. “We have between 10 [and] 12 buildings either under construction, in design or in planning seeking LEED certification.”

The costs of building a LEED-certified structure are greater than the costs of building a regular building. Despite that fact, the savings over the lifetime of the building will far outweigh the present cost, according to Malten.

“LEED certification should not be about first cost, but about life cycle cost,” Malten said. “Many of the things that we are designing into our buildings are because we want to save over the long term. Some of the design strategies, while they may have a slightly higher up-front cost, we do them because over many years, there will be a good return on the investment.”

Despite the high cost, there is optimism that the DUC will serve as an example to improve all future buildings on campus.

“I hope we learn from what we have done to improve future construction,” Darby said.