Designed by Salt Lake City-based architecture firm Method Studio, the building will become the first building in the Tooele county to be certified by the United States Green Building Council as a LEED building, when it opens. It is expected to achieve LEED Silver certification.
The 74,000-square-foot Tooele Applied Technology College will serve as the main campus to accommodate student services such as bookstore, café, media centre, assessment, and job placement services; administration; conference rooms; multipurpose rooms; classrooms; laboratories; and high-bay shops. The new building will also enable the expansion of existing programs and provide high-tech space for new dynamic, industry-driven programs.
The green building will incorporate major recycling efforts, which are expected to play a key role in its LEED certification. There will be separate dumpsters for wood, plastic, gypsum board, aluminum cans and steel in the back of the building. The construction waste will be recycled by the building’s neighbour, Greenbox Recycling. The facility is employing fly ash, a by-product of coal burning, in concrete along with recycled steel, and wood products made from medium-density fiberboard. Carpets are also manufactured from recycled materials.
The building construction utilises steel temporary large braces, which holds up concrete walls in a reference to tilt-up concrete construction. Instead of poured walls that require more concrete, metal rebar and wood forms, the tilt-up walls are poured horizontally on the ground and then lifted into place by cranes. By using adhesives, paints, flooring and composite wood that emit low levels of these compounds, VOC reduction has been achieved. Solar electricity panels and solar water heaters are used at the facility.
Strip irrigation, xeriscaping, and native plants will further reduce the water consumption of the building by 20%. The building also earned LEED points because of its location. It is in close proximity to public transportation.
