The College of Nursing and Health Innovation II building received a certificate and an award for its unique building techniques and sustainable appeal.
It took 18 months after the building was completed to receive the highly-esteemed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) New Construction Gold Certification, said Terry Olbrysh, spokesman for the College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
The building, owned by the city of Phoenix, was built to be sustainable and scenic for the public, which is the basis for the certification, Olbrysh said.
“We are pleased with the commitment and partnership between ASU and downtown Phoenix to allow the building to be built,” Olbrysh said.
The five-story building got the award for implementing practices such as using recycled building material and solar water heating, Olbrysh said.
SmithGroup, the architecture engineering firm for the building, was behind the sustainable insight of the award winning building, Olbrysh said.
SmithGroup incorporates the LEED rating system in all of their building projects, according to the company’s website.
LEED is a certification program and is nationally regarded as the measure for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
The building, located on the corner of East Fillmore and North Second streets, also received a national Design-Build Award for an education facility over $25 million by the Design-Build Institute of America, Olbrysh said.
The building was also nominated along with one other building in the nation to receive the Best Overall Award from the institute.
Olbrysh said the judging criteria for the awards was grueling, involving finding unique solutions to project challenges and demonstrating the successful application of design-build principles.
The building’s construction company, DPR Construction, specializes in building facilities to be used for technology and life sciences research and education, according to www.DPR.com.
The building has helped support ASU’s growing nursing and health-promotions programs, with an increased enrollment from 1,600 students in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation in 2005 to 4,800 students now, Olbrysh said.
Kelly Brubakken, a sophomore nursing major, said the building is a great facility for nursing students.
“ASU had the best nursing school of any of the colleges I toured,” Brubakken said.
Contact the reporter at mlstewa3@asu.edu
