Rogue Community College LEEDs the way

MEDFORD, OR — The Higher Education Center in downtown Medford has received an advanced certification for environmentally friendly construction from the U.S. Green Building Council, joining an elite league of universities in the Western United States, according to the Mail Tribune.

The three-story, 68,700-square-foot education center, which opened in September 2008, is jointly operated by Southern Oregon University (SOU) and Rogue Community College (RCC), the article noted.

"With the emphasis on sustainability at SOU, achieving the LEED Platinum certification and being first in the Oregon University System was a very high priority for us," said Larry Blake, SOU planning and sustainability officer, who headed up the certification process for about the past three years.

"LEED Platinum certification is eventually going to become commonplace, but it's certainly a distinction for us now. We are trying to raise the profile of sustainability of this institution, and this is an important step," Blake added.

The Higher Education Center features heat wheels that transfer energy from exhaust air to pre-heat and pre-cool fresh air, occupancy sensors that control light, heating and air conditioning use and a 56-kilowatt solar array on the roof that produces 6 percent of the building's power supply, among other items, the article stated.

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