RMP - Sustainable Buildings Update

UC San Diego has entered a period of significant growth and transformation, and with that we are in the process of updating our building policies and practices to ensure that environmental sustainability as well as human health and wellness are core requirements of our planning, design, construction, and long term facility operation and maintenance practices.

With that in mind, as you know, we recently brought together a group of about 40 stakeholders from across the campus to review our existing policies...thank you to your staff for participating in this event.  In support of this effort, and if they are available, we would like to invite members of your staff to participate in one of three subgroups being formed to develop recommendations regarding specific topics that need more in-depth analysis.  The three subgroups and their assigned tasks are:

  • Revisions to UC San Diego’s Green Building Policy and standards.  The focus of this group will be to look at current requirements, then develop recommendations as to whether the campus should consider adopting higher standards such as LEED Gold or additional standards such as  WELL, FitWell or Green Building Challenge.  In developing these recommendations the group will take in account all applicable factors including cost, implementation difficulty, and long-term maintenance implications, etc.
  • Metrics and a Lifecycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) model for projects.  The group will evaluate various metrics, including energy intensity, carbon emissions, waste reduction, water use, etc. to determine the most applicable for incorporating into campus building and infrastructure projects.  The group will also consider these metric in developing a proposed LCCA model for the campus.
  • Incorporating sustainability into campus real estate actions.  This group will look at public-private partnerships (P3), retail, and leasing programs with the goal of developing recommendations based on the UC Sustainable Practices Policy and any campus Sustainable Building Policy/Standards for making them requirements in our real estate/contracting practices.



About us

For the core planning team (Sustainability, DDS/CPM, and Planning) and three working groups transforming UC San Diego's 2007 green building guidelines into a new sustainable building policy, guidelines and training that integrates environmental, human and financial sustainability.


Next Steps

  • Sustainability and the Working Group chairs have been socializing the idea of the new policy, guidelines, training and student learning opportunities for several months. We have presented or will be presenting to: 
      • Staff Picnic
      • Housing, Dining and Hospitality Sustainability Committee and all staff meetings
      • Health System Sustainability Committee
      • EH&S all staff meeting
      • Campus/Community Planning Committee and Open Space Committee
      • Design Review Board
      • FM Project Managers and FM all staff meetings
      • University Centers all staff meeting
      • Recreation all staff meeting
      • Academic Affairs all staff meeting
      • Associate Students
      • Grad Student Association
      • PostDoc Association
      • Faculty Senate Committee on Campus and Community Environment
      • Campus Transformation Town Hall
      • Virtual town hall at sustain.ucsd.edu
  • Feedback has all been positive, with some groups volunteering to be part of the process going forward (EH&S ergonomic specialists, Health System Sustainability Committee staff, plus invitation to speak at Community Safety and Security Advisory Committee).
  • Presenting to Resource Management and Planning leadership team on 9/11.
  • Working with Policy and Records to create the formal policy and take language through appropriate approval channels.
  • Drafting outline for guidelines now. Guidelines will be completed by June 2020, with training afterwards.

Meeting calendar


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