Cronkite building gets green certification
The new downtown Phoenix building that houses the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University has earned a citation for sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council.
ASU President Michael Crow, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Cronkite Dean
Callahan said the award, which comes more than a year after the new building opened, is a reminder of how special the Cronkite building is. “It’s a place that epitomizes not just the highest standards of journalism but the highest standards of sustainability,” he said. “We’re extremely proud to receive this award.”
In addition, more than 10 percent of the total building material content was manufactured using recycled materials, said Howard Shugar, vice president and senior project manager for HDR, the architectural firm for the building.
In its report, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded the project 37 points out of 37 submitted for sustainable features, such as being served by 12 bus lines within a quarter-mile of the site, diverting 79.8 percent of construction waste generated on-site from a landfill, and development and implementation of a green housekeeping program.
The building, located at the corner of
Features include the First Amendment Forum, a multi-tiered public space designed for informal daytime gatherings of students and faculty as well as nightly public events; the Cronkite Theater, a 144-seat venue that, along with the Forum, is equipped with ready-for-broadcast high-definition TV cameras; and the Marguerite and Jack Clifford Gallery, a museum-inspired space that displays media artifacts, including several items from Walter Cronkite, the school’s namesake and legendary CBS News anchor, who passed away earlier this year.
LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. The rating system, created by the U.S. Green Building Council, grades project sustainability based on points awarded for water conservation, energy efficiency and environmental quality, among other things. The more points, the higher the rating, which goes from basic certification up to Silver, Gold and Platinum.