749 University Row, the sustainable building that Potter Lawson calls home, was recently featured in High Performance Buildings magazine. With a focus on how sustainable development pays back both the developer and tenants, we are honored to have designed such a benchmark facility for Madison! Click here to read the full article!
We are proud to announce that UW Health – Digestive Health Center at University Crossing has been awarded the first LEED Healthcare Certification in the State of Wisconsin. The new LEED Healthcare Guidelines are stringent and specifically focused around the unique operation and functions of healthcare environments. UW Health – Digestive Health Center achieved a Silver Certification from the US Green Building Council. Potter Lawson is proud to have led the design and LEED Certification of this cutting edge facility in Madison, Wisconsin.
We are proud to have 749 University Row in the University Crossing Development win the Project of the Year Award for the 2015 InBusiness Commercial Design Awards…this marks our third year winning Project of the Year! Additionally 749 University Row also earned the Best Green-Built project in this year’s awards. The project is already LEED C+S Platinum Certified and sits as the cornerstone to the new University Crossing development on Madison’s west side. A few of the sustainable features of the facility include geothermal wells with a VRF mechanical system, a 10,000 gallon rainwater collection tank, low-flow plumbing fixtures and extensive daylighting.
We are excited to announce that the first office building in the new University Crossing Development has successfully earned the highest LEED Core & Shell Certification from the US Green Building Council. This Platinum Certified facility is the first in the University Crossing development to receive official certification, with certification expected soon for the Potter Lawson, Energy Center of Wisconsin, and UW Health Digestive Health Center.
Last week the Wisconsin Energy Institute at UW-Madison received it’s LEED Gold plaque, signifying the building as environmentally sustainable. Congratulations to the entire design and construction team for making this project a success and a fantastic addition to Madison!
The UW Madison – Wisconsin Energy Institute was recently featured on TRADELINE’s website (to see feature, click here).
We are proud to be a part of another transformation in downtown Madison. The revitalized Madison Central Library embodies the Madison community with it’s focus on sustainable design. Follow this link to read more on the details of green design principles included in our design!
Designed by Potter Lawson in association with Jacoby Architects of Salt Lake City, the University of Utah’s newest residence hall recently received gold certification using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, making it the first LEED-certified university residence hall in Utah.
The 167,000-square-foot Donna Garff Marriott Honors Residential Scholars Community, which opened its doors in August 2012, exceeded minimum efficiency standards by more than 30%, resulting in $55,000 annual energy savings.
“We worked hard to ensure tremendous energy savings without increasing our construction budget,” said Myron Willson, director of the University of Utah Office of Sustainability.
In 2009, the state of Utah required all new state buildings to meet the qualifications for LEED silver certification. The design/build team of Gramoll Construction, Jacoby Architects and Potter Lawson designed and constructed the living learning community. They helped the University of Utah find ways to exceed the minimum efficiency standards without impacting cost.
The plumbing fixtures yield a 44% reduction in water use, resulting in 2.4 million gallons of water saved annually. The building uses high-efficiency heating and cooling systems and a heat recovery system that captures heat from the exhaust system and reuses it. Occupancy sensors that control lighting were installed as well as Energy Star-rated appliances and LED and CFL lighting. Other sustainable aspects include use of local materials, natural day lighting and ventilation, materials made with high recycled content, location near a TRAX light rail stop to reduce automobile trips, bicycle storage and landscaping that includes on-site stormwater retention.
Additionally, an innovative Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund project helped boost the building from silver to gold. Student Jessica Batty, an honors student who just completed an MBA and master’s in architecture at the U, was awarded a $70,000 grant to implement an electricity-tracking dashboard system in the building as well as a “green” demonstration room.
“Constructing sustainable buildings is important to the university because it saves limited natural resources and results in long-term financial savings,” Willson said. “This new building is a perfect example of how we find ways to exceed sustainability standards without passing the cost to anyone.”
The Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI), the newest alternative energy research center in the U.S., is now open and was dedicated on April 5, 2013. The five-story, 104,000-square-foot collaboration-centric research center is located on the University of Wisconsin (UW) campus in Madison, Wisconsin. Dedicated to cutting-edge renewable energy systems research, the $55 million project was funded by the state of Wisconsin.
WEI is designed to serve as a collaborative hub for scientists of various disciplines. Its major tenant is the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), one of three Bioenergy Research Centers (BRC) tasked by the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct research that generates technology to convert cellulosic biomass to ethanol and other biofuels. Home to the nation’s first solar energy lab and the only Department of Energy funded bioenergy research center on an academic campus, UW-Madison supports the efforts of hundreds of faculty, scientists and students working in alternative energy fields of study. WEI also hosts the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative and the Center for Renewable Energy Systems.
“Developing next-generation biofuels and other renewable energy systems that are efficient and economically and environmentally sustainable requires a heightened level of interdisciplinary teamwork,” said Tim Donohue, GLBRC director and UW professor of bacteriology. “We believe WEI will spark the ‘random collisions’ between scientists from different disciplines that catalyze the breakthrough advances that are our goal.”
To that end, an interior light well supports each research floor. The light well opens sightlines and conduits for interaction between researchers and staff in offices and work stations that ring the perimeter of the floor and the laboratories that populate its interior. Pedestrian bridges within the light well provide accessibility while break rooms, seating nooks and formal meeting areas offer an array of venues for communication. All told, 90 percent of the interior space garners natural daylight and exterior views.