New George N. Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building Awarded LEED Gold Certification

The USGBC has awarded the LEED Gold certification to the newly constructed George N. Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This is the first building to receive LEED certification at the campus of UMass Amherst.

The new building was designed by Kuhn Riddle Architects of Amherst and the general contractor was Eastern General Contractors from Springfield. The building covers a total area of 15,000sqft and construction was completed during the spring of 2011 at a total cost of $5.7million. The building is being occupied by the national level University of Massachusetts Marching Band.

Particular features which were responsible for the certification are installation of efficient mechanical and insulation systems and glazing options and usage of effective lighting for reducing energy costs. The building uses high performance envelopes which are the R35 walls and R30/R40 roof which cut down on its heating and cooling requirements. The efficient lighting also includes occupancy sensors and daylight sensors. Plumbing fixtures have the capacity to reduce potable water usage by 47,800 gallons/year and total water consumption by 37.6%. The temperature of the rooms can be controlled according to the individual requirements of the occupants. Low and zero VOC paints and adhesives have been used all over the building. Construction material used for the building was acquired mostly from regional resources and more than 75% of the materials were recycled. The plants which are located on the site are tolerant to drought.