Farmer building leads with LEED

Construction waste and debris will be sorted for recycling.

When the Farmer School’s new facility is completed this summer, it will be the first of Miami’s buildings to win a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Several recent university projects, such as the new Goggin Ice Arena, followed many of the LEED construction guidelines, so John Seibert, the project manager, was well prepared for the requirements of building to these standards.

Whether it’s a matter of reusing construction materials when possible, installing “smart” infrastructure, or simply making the most of natural light and ventilation, LEED building practices guide every aspect of construction and operation of a building.

An environmentally friendly approach to site development was the first step on the new Farmer School’s path toward LEED certification.

“Reduce, reuse, recycle,” says Seibert, “Those ‘three Rs” have been our goal all the way through this project. We’re committed to meeting the LEED requirements—and winning a silver certification.” Winning that certification includes a “three R” approach to construction waste, explains Seibert, noting that such debris takes a huge toll on landfills worldwide.

By reducing and recycling both construction and demolition materials, landfill space is conserved—and the environmental impact of producing new materials is reduced. As “green” practices like these gain state and federal support, opportunities in the recycling industry may translate into new jobs.

Siebert explains that the “reduce, reuse, recycle” rule went into effect even as the demolition crew took down Reid Hall to make way for the Farmer School’s new building.

“We began by selling all the scrap materials we could,” says Siebert. “Then we found a way to reuse the old brick and concrete. After the material was crushed, it became part of the base of the new structure.”

Siebert reports that practices like these have paid off. “More than 90 percent of our construction waste was diverted from the landfill,” he says.

On its path toward certification, the Farmer School complied with another LEED requirement by ensuring that the majority of purchased building materials were manufactured and procured within a 500-mile radius of Oxford.

“This is a provision that is designed to reduce transportation costs and to bolster the regional economy,” explains Ted Christian, the university’s LEED-certified project administrator.

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