Green Buildings

Constructing and operating campus buildings to meet high standards for sustainably is a priority at UC Santa Barbara. In green, or “high performance” buildings, efficient use of energy and water reduces the campus’ ecological footprint, and also reduces operating costs. Green buildings promote high indoor air quality and strive to create comfortable indoor environments, making them better places to work and learn.

To achieve tangible results in green building projects, UCSB utilizes two nationally-recognized certification programs developed by the U.S. Green Building Council: LEED for New Construction (LEED NC) and LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED EB). LEED stands for Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design.

LEED for New Construction strives to realize efficiencies at the beginning of a building’s life and is designed to guide high-performance construction and renovation projects. LEED NC maximizes energy and water efficient design, going above and beyond California’s strict building codes and adding additional features that save money and resources. It also seeks to reduce other impacts from the construction process such as recycling waste and using local and recycled materials.

UCSB has been using this rating system since Bren Hall achieved LEED-Platinum certification in 2002, making it the greenest laboratory building in the nation. Encouraged by the success of this project, the Chancellor signed the “Green Building Policy,” which states that all buildings programmed after July 1, 2004 are committed to meeting a LEED NC Silver rating. The policy also encourages UCSB to pursue certification for its existing buildings by changing operations and maintenance procedures to meet green standards. This goal is being realized through the LEED EB program described below. For more information about the LEED NC rating system, visit http://www.usgbc.org/leed/nc.

For more information about UCSB’s LEED NC projects, see below:
Bren SRB MSRB
Bren Hall Case Study SRB Case Study MSRB Case Study
Bren Hall Checklist MSRB Checklist


The LEED EB program promotes sustainable building operations through energy and water efficiency, waste and recycling, green cleaning and custodial protocols, and sustainable purchasing. LEED EB is a voluntary and consensus-based national standard for redeveloping and upgrading buildings to maximize operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts.

Girvetz Hall is the first building at UCSB to be LEED EB certified. It achieved a LEED-Silver rating in 2005, becoming the first LEED EB project in the UC system. To capitalize on the many sustainable operations that were implemented for Girvetz that are applied campus-wide, UCSB has joined the USGBC's LEED EB Portfolio Program.

Through an agreement with the USGBC, UCSB will certify 25 existing buildings in the next 5 years. This bold program is in its infancy, and UCSB is one of only three universities in the country taking part in the pilot stage. Certifying buildings through this program will allow UCSB to realize substantial savings in resource use and environmental impacts, as well as LEED certification costs.

Click here for a spreadsheet of the 25 LEED Portfolio Program buildings and their tentative schedule over the next 5 years.

For more information about the LEED NC rating system, please visit http://www.usgbc.org/leed/eb.

For more information about UCSB’s LEED EB projects, see below:
Girvetz Recreation Center  
Case study Recreation Center Checklist  
Girvetz Checklist
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