Greenified Rice

We’ve been walking around Rice Univeristy recently and couldn’t help but notice literally tons of construction. It turns out that Rice is currently undergoing an explosive period of development, adding roughly one million square feet of built space to its already 3.7 million square foot campus by 2009. This is pretty impressive as is, but we were more than a little surprised (knowing that universities are businesses like any other) that Rice was recently (Nov. 2007) written up in Texas Construction, a McGraw Hill Construction publication for its commitment to sustainable design. Two Rice Faculty, Barbara White Bryson, Associate Vice President of Facilities Engineering and Planning and Richard Johnson, Director of Sustainability penned in to the magazine and reported that being Green doesn’t always cost more green. They credit a unique combination of design, technology, and funding along with a strong sense of committed interest from the student body and faculty with the success of each project.

Our commitment to green building and sustainability has also allowed our Facilities Engineering and Planning department to interface with faculty and students in a new and positive way. For example, a team of environmental studies students learned about utility paybacks by helping us to select water-efficient fixtures for a dorm restroom renovation. They then one-upped us by arranging for the older fixtures to be donated to Habitat for Humanity for re-use.

Sure, new construction itself isn’t really ever the most sustainable answer but if you have to do it, it might as well be efficient.

Questions and comments can be emailed directly to Barbara White Bryson and Richard Johnson. The full article can be read on the Texas Construction website.