Dallas College's Aspirational High-Performance Building Guidelines

Dallas College is committed to building and operating healthy, energy-efficient facilities that ensure that our students and employees:

• Feel well
  
• Think well
  
• Perform well
  

Dallas College has a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of Dallas County. To ensure that all new buildings are economically feasible and support its long-term financial health, Dallas College projects will make design choices after considering both the cost of construction and the cost of operating and maintaining buildings during their anticipated service life (Life Cycle Analysis), and the impacts of buildings on occupant health and performance.

Dallas College stays abreast of the latest research to ensure that we are building the best structures possible to meet our current and future needs. Examples of these areas for attention include, but are not limited to:

• Biomimicry (leveraging nature's genius in design)
• Biophilic Design (incorporating nature and its principles into buildings to improve employee productivity)
• Digital Electricity
• Integrated Design
• Integrated Pest Management
• Net Zero Energy Design (meeting the building's energy needs through on-site renewable energy generation)
• Resilient Design (designing buildings and systems to help Dallas College and the communities we serve survive shocks and adapt to changing conditions, including a changing climate)
• WaterWise landscaping
• Zero Waste

Vision

Dallas College is a green building leader in the community, modeling sustainable behavior for our students, community members, business and industry.

Long Term Goals

Dallas College buildings are regenerative. In addition to doing no harm, they make positive contributions to human and natural systems.

Long-term, strategic thinking is rewarded; inefficient building designs that waste energy and generate pollution are discouraged. All new construction is incentivized to meet net-zero energy standards (competitive bidders will get extra points for net-zero plans/bids; campuses will get a portion of the projected savings for five years to spend on programming).

When existing buildings are upgraded or renovated, they also will be incentivized to meet net-zero standards.

Minimum Standards

To ensure that all Dallas College buildings meet the same minimum standard of quality for comfort, energy efficiency and resources conservation, all current and future Dallas College buildings will meet:

• Energy Star Portfolio standards
• Meet ASHRAE 90.1-2016 / IECC 2018 energy code (Current TX requirements are IECC 2015 = ASHRAE 90.1-2013)
• DCCCD's Building Standards (in development)
  

To the extent possible, new buildings and renovations will be designed to accommodate future technologies that may not be cost-effective when the building is constructed, but might be in the future (e.g., "solar-ready roofs" and "battery storage ready").

Campuses and locations are allowed and encouraged to adopt the approach for promoting high-performance projects that fits their situation and meets their current/future educational and sustainability goals. Certification is optional. This list will be updated as new standards emerge.

• ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2011 - Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings
  
• BREEAM – The most widely used green building rating system worldwide
  
• Envision – Drives success in sustainable infrastructure projects
  
• Green Globes - Customized guidance in the design, construction and operation of high-performance interiors and buildings
  
• International Code Council's 2012 International Green Construction Code - Delivers sustainable, resilient, high-performance buildings
  
• LENSES – A facilitated step-by-step process for regenerative development
  
• Parksmart - The world's only certification system designed to advance sustainable mobility through smarter parking structure design and operation
  
• PEER - The world's first certification program that measures and improves power system performance and electricity infrastructure
  
• SITES - The most comprehensive system for creating sustainable and resilient land development projects
  
• Sustainable Development Code
  
• International Living Future Institute's Living Building Challenge™, version 2.1 (May 2012) - Regenerative design framework to create spaces that, like a flower, give more than they take
  
• TRUE Zero Waste Rating System - Certification system that enables facilities to define, pursue and achieve their zero waste goals, cutting their carbon footprint and supporting public health
  
• U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) – A voluntary program meant to objectively measure how sustainable a building is in several key areas
  
• Well 2 by the International Well Building Institute – Buildings and communities that help people thrive
  

To easily compare some of the major green building standards, visit the EPA's green building standards website.