gather in good company

Georgia Tech offers Sustainable Meeting Options

During the 1996 Summer Olympics, Georgia Tech’s North Avenue Apartments served as home to many Olympic athletes. Among those were many medal winners. Now the buildings themselves have earned a gold medal and are available for summer conference accommodations. The United States Green Building Council has awarded Gold certification in LEED EB: O & M category to the North Avenue Apartments complex. The multiplex is 750,000 sq ft. of heated and cooled space, 2000 student beds in apartment-style housing, set within a community of four buildings. The complex also includes a Gold LEED New Construction certified dining hall, multipurpose gymnasium, meeting space, laundry facilities, two parking decks, and a sprawling-courtyard with a sand volleyball pit. Fran Gillis, the Senior Director of Housing Facilities concluded “we are particularly proud of the fact that this is the largest university housing complex in the world to achieve the LEED EB O&M certification”.

Georgia Tech Housing supports sustainable design and operations to reduce its impacts on the earth and conserve resources, so that future generations can live, learn, and prosper in a healthier and cleaner environment. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings (EB) Operations and Maintenance (O & M) is the process that GT Housing has selected in its pursuit of more sustainable facilities. The project selected by GT Housing for the LEED EB O&M Certification was the North Avenue Apartments (NAA) located at the Southeastern corner of the Georgia Tech Campus.

It is believed that following the guidelines of LEED Certification the facilities will operate with greater energy & water efficiency, use more environmentally sustainable practices and result in a healthier building environment for student residents. The LEED Certification process is administered by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), which is the leading organization in the United States for the certification of buildings for sustainable operations.

The LEED distinction at Georgia Tech North Avenue Apartments was achieved through the implementation of the following initiatives:

• Water-saving devices installed on all lavatories, sinks and showers
• Efficient toilets installed for maximum water conservation and reduced levels of maintenance
• Sustainable sites and grounds maintenance and documentation
• Enhanced recycling programs
• Green cleaning program and documentation for better indoor air quality
• Walk off mats 10 feet deep at all entries to trap dirt and create a cleaner environment
• Practice Integrated Pest Management for outdoor and indoor pest control
• Repair of all windows for less air leakage and a tighter sealed building for greater energy efficiency
• Air conditioning and heating systems running efficiently and monitored effectively
• The North Avenue Dining Hall features energy star appliances, trayless efficiency, and extensive composting efforts.

By living more sustainably, the Georgia Tech Department of Housing is doing the right thing for student’s minds and bodies, along with protecting the environment through more efficient and effective systems.
Georgia Tech Conference Services (GTCS) offers accommodations for meetings and conferences from late May through late July. GTCS consists of 4 fulltime professional planners and is an ACCED-I certified one-stop shop.

To request more information on how to conduct sustainable meetings in the North Avenue complex and other locations at Georgia Tech please visit www.conference.gatech.edu.