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Rowan-Cabarrus’ Building 400 LEED Project

Building 400

For the first time in RCCC’s history, the college has a facility dedicated to public service training, workforce development and continuing and corporate education programs.
Building 400, the first new facility built on RCCC’s North Campus in more than 30 years, will be the home of programs critically important to the community. For the first time in RCCC’s history, the college has a facility dedicated to public service training, workforce development and continuing and corporate education programs. The building is a 39,000-square-foot investment in public service, jobs training and the community.

Building 400 Usage

Programs based in the new Building 400 include:

  • Law Enforcement;
  • Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services;
  • Entry-Level Healthcare; and
  • Pre-College Studies – often a first-stop for displaced workers returning to school.

Building 400 offers a number of specialized classroom and other learning spaces, including:

  • Classrooms for Nurse Aide and Phlebotomy training;
  • A state-of-the-art aerobics and weight training room for public safety training that includes physical fitness as a key component; and
  • A mock jail cell for detention officer training.

The building also offers computer labs and equipment needed to teach software used in today’s business world. Space for WorkKeys and Career Readiness Certification is available so students can assess and develop critical work skills for job placement, retention, and promotion.

The Pre-College Studies spaces are designed for multiple learning and teaching strategies to meet the varied learning styles of adult students. These classrooms include technology to transition students to college programs and the workplace.

All learning and work spaces have comfortable and functional furnishings, recognizing that students and staff work in these spaces for extended periods of time. Larger computer monitors minimize eye strain. Abundant natural light and water conservation features emphasize RCCC’s commitment to sustainability and the environment.

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.  (Source)

Building 400 is RCCC’s first LEED facility. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. LEED is a national rating system, established by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2001, to measure the sustainability of a building and its site based on a point system with 69 possible credits.

LEED credit groups consist of six categories:

  • Sustainable Site,
  • Water Efficiency,
  • Energy and Atmosphere,
  • Materials and Resources,
  • Indoor Environmental Quality, and
  • Innovation and Design Process.

Why are LEED and sustainability important?

Buildings in the United States account for:

  •  38 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions;
  • 39 percent of total energy use;
  • 68 percent of total electricity use; and
  • 12 percent of total water use.

LEED features of RCCC’s Building 400 include:

  • Innovative storm water management;
  • Bicycle racks and preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles;
  • 80-percent water use reduction for irrigation;
  • 42-percent water use reduction inside the building;
  • 19-percent energy use reduction;
  • 75 percent of construction waste was recycled;
  • 25 percent of building materials were recycled products;
  • 37 percent of building materials were purchased regionally;
  • Wood products certified by Forest Stewardship Council;
  • Use of low VOC interior finishes – paints, adhesives, sealants and carpet;
  • Zero use of ozone-depleting CFC refrigerants;
  • Carpeting made from recycled materials; and
  • Exterior materials reduce light pollution and heat-island effect.

Cost of Construction

  • Total Cost – $8,866,494
  • State of North Carolina Funding – $5,207,129
  • Rowan County Funding – $3,659,365