Posted by GreenTeamBlog.org.
Planning a green event isn’t just about putting out the recycling bins and lecturing people on plastic types. There are a wide variety of decisions to be made.
One decision that can have a major impact on the sustainability of an event is venue; the venue is the foundation for any event. Luckily for the College of Law, our new home will be on the leading edge of sustainable design, and because of this, our events will be more sustainable as well! Here are some of the exciting features that will make the College of Law one of the best green locations in Salt Lake City to host an event.
Cool beams: The whole building, including the 6th floor event spaces, will be heated and cooled using a chilled beam system, a convection-type HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system. It utilizes pipes of water passing through a beam; as the beam cools, so does the air around it. Chilled beam systems use significantly less energy that traditional forced air HVAC systems. For more on the College of Law Chilled Beam system, check out this short video.
Bright ideas: The event spaces were designed to make use of natural light as much as possible by integrating windows into the room designs. The rooms are also equipped with occupancy sensors so the lights are only on when the room is in use and automatically shut off when the room is vacated. When artificial light is needed, it will be provided by LED bulbs which generate less heat, use less energy, contain no mercury, and have longer lifespans (sometimes up to 20 times as long as incandescent or fluorescent bulbs).
Brainy builders: The large conference room on the top floor can be subdivided into three smaller rooms using moveable walls. This creates a flexible, dynamic space that can meet many needs, while minimizing necessary building materials. Additionally, the space will be constructed using low emitting materials—adhesives, sealants, paint, and carpet—that do not release significant pollutants (volatile organic compounds) into the indoor environment.
In addition to these behind the scenes features, the our green event space will also include more obvious elements, such as, yes, more recycling containers, a water bottle filling station, catering kitchen, as well as a rooftop garden and terrace. All of these features and more are what will make the new College of Law building a comfortable, attractive, and an environmentally friendly space to host a wide variety of events.