KBE Building Corporation & Newman Architects Design-Build Team Achieves LEED Gold Certification for UMBC Residence Hall

Online, December 17, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The design-build team of KBE Building Corporation (KBE) (www.kbebuilding.com) and Newman Architects (www.newmanarchitects.com) has achieved LEED Gold certification for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's (UMBC) Patapsco Hall renovation and addition.

The $16.5 million residence hall includes an 82,264 square-foot renovation and 52,390 square-foot addition. KBE partnered with Newman Architects in the creation of the 183-bed addition, which includes four stories and a limited basement, and consists of 68 double rooms, eight triples, 24 singles, and three studio apartments for graduate staff that includes a kitchen and bathroom in each unit. The existing residence hall was updated to include a new lobby, elevator, and stairwell, as well as a courtyard with a new basketball court.

UMBC Patapsco Hall Green Roof Research Platform

The Patapsco Hall addition features an innovative green roof research platform as part of its focus on sustainable design and construction. Supporting ongoing research efforts by UMBC faculty and students, the project features a green roof and an identically-sized control area, each with dedicated drainage systems and rainwater quantity and quality measurement devices.

UMBC researchers plan to use the data generated by the system to document annual storm water retention by the green roof, monitoring runoff from the green and control portions of the roof and comparing them in terms of quantity and quality. This research will provide green roof performance data that will be specifically relevant to the mid-Atlantic region and is expected to contribute substantially to our understanding of long-term green roof performance. It is expected that a number of peer-reviewed publications may result from this work.
Storm water retention totals and storm hydrographs will be displayed in real-time in the building lobby and the monitoring facility is available for educational tours for faculty and students.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2000 and provides verification that a building was designed and built using aspects of efficient environmental health conservation strategies. The certification, which is divided into three categories (Silver, Gold, and Platinum), recognizes performance in areas including: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

KBE has completed, or is in the process of completing, 22 LEED-Certified projects. The Armed Forces Reserve Center in Middletown, Connecticut was KBE's first LEED-Gold designated project. Eight residence halls designed by Newman Architects have received or are anticipating USGBC LEED Certification, including one Platinum, two Gold, and two Silver level designations.

"The achievement of our second LEED Gold certification is such a testament to our quality of work," said KBE Principal and CEO Mike Kolakowski. "Accomplishing this important certification is a perfect indicator of where all of our future designs are heading."

The Patapsco Hall project is the sixth design-build residence hall project that the KBE & Newman team has completed together.

The project was completed in October 2011. This is the first LEED certified residence facility at UMBC.

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