El Camino is on the fast track to becoming a green and energy-efficient campus.
The construction of the campus’s newest buildings are being completed in accordance to the Energy and Sustainability Policy. These guidelines are also saving the campus money while earning incentives.
The next “green” building, due for completion in November, is the Math, Business, Health and Science Building, or MBHS.
The Energy and Sustainability recommends that all new public buildings be equipped and constructed with energy saving measures. Factoring in materials that can help decrease our carbon footprint and help lower our out-gassing issues can help us meet higher standards.
By contracting under the policy’s guidelines, the aim is to reduce campus energy by 15 percent.
“The newest building, designed under the guidelines of Title 24, is exceeding those standards,” Bruce Hoerning, assistant director of facilities planning and services, said. “We’re also designing facilities that outperform the energy code by 15 percent.”
There are also other updates on campus that may assist EC in energy conservation.
Replacing 12 boilers and nine chillers with three boilers and three chillers have been a successful endeavor, Hoerning said.
The newer units can adjust to the needs of the campus, instead of running full charge all day, he said.
While the Humanities Building opened in 2008 employs energy conservation, Barbara Jaffe, associate dean of humanities, said there are already problems with accommodating all the students at EC.
The overflow of classes are held in additional buildings on campus. The Humanities Building houses departments once existing in four separate buildings. This includes the Writing Center and the foreign language labs.
Student outreach has factored into construction due to students speaking out about their needs.
“The needs of the campus and students always factors into the construction plans,” Hoerning said.
For instance, once the plans for the MBHS building had been started, a fourth floor was added. At this time, there are no reports available to gauge the energy savings in respect to the previous buildings. In all, there are several other buildings facing changes or renovations in the near future.
“We have one dedicated classroom for all of our students,” Martha Smith, administrative assistant to the nursing program said. “This is also great because not only will we have a new building for our classes, but we will eventually have a new parking lot.”
For Tamara Yeghiayan, educational studies major, the addition of the new building is something she’s looking forward to.
“I’m glad we won’t have to worry about going to the old building that is pretty old. This new building will add to the campus’s look,” Yeghiayan said. “ I mean everyone loves new things and this building won’t be any different and it’s a plus that the college has the environment in mind with this process.”
