A skeletal structure surrounded by backhoes, cranes and building materials reside beside the Carrier Dome. This site will become SUNY-ESF’s Gateway Building, which will be a focal point of campus with a cafeteria, conference rooms and an exercise facility.

Because of the building’s efficiency, with its ability to generate enough power for four additional campus buildings, the structure has become one of the topics discussed at the upcoming 10th annual New York State Green Building Conference.

The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry is partnering with the New York Upstate chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council to host the conference that will be held March 29-30 at the Syracuse Oncenter. The Green Building Advocate of the Year award is a vital feature of this conference.

Tracie Hall, a member of the advisory council for the award and executive director of the New York Upstate chapter of U.S. Green Building Council, said in an email that the award and conference ‘focus exclusively on green building — the practice of designing, constructing, operating and maintaining structures in a way that improves human health and productivity while reducing the use of resources.’

Katherina Searing, the new associate director for professional education and noncredit programs at ESF, is working with the nominations for the 2012 Green Advocate of the Year award. She said the recipients are usually established in the green building field and include architects and past directors or presidents of the U.S. Green Building Council. She said she believes the recipients can set noble examples for students concerned about the environment.

‘They could serve as role models for students because they have been advocates for green building throughout their careers,’ Searing said.

Searing mentioned Hall as a role model example. Hall received the first Green Building Advocate of the Year award in 2006 for constructing the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified building in Syracuse. LEED is an internationally renowned mark of excellence that measures building environmental designs, constructions and operations, according to the Green Building Council website.

Windows that minimize heating and cooling costs and the use of concrete recycled from a demolition are aspects of Hall’s building that allow it to qualify for the LEED certification, according to the Enable website, the company that uses the building and offers individualized services for children and adults with disabilities.

Anyone interested in promoting sustainable building practices can vote for the individual they believe is most deserving of this year’s honor by visiting the NYS Green Building Conference website.

‘We believe it is important to highlight someone in our region or the nation that is working for reusing materials or creating structures and buildings that are using less energy and a safer working environment,’ Searing said.

Although voting for the Green Building Advocate of the Year will soon close, voting for a sustainable building that will be pictured on a poster given out for free to conference attendees will stay open, Searing said.

One-day student tickets for the conference are $35 and two-day tickets are $65, Searing said.

In celebration of the 10th year of the conference, ESF’s Green Construction Group is also demonstrating student involvement by making a three-minute tribute video that will touch on the history of the conference and the award.

Vincent Bonomi, senior at ESF and president of the Green Construction Group, said in an email that the video will underscore some significant sustainable buildings around the state, including the ESF Gateway Building and possibly the new World Trade Center in New York City.

‘We often only give people credit for building the biggest thing or the most expensive thing,’ Searing said. ‘This is a way of highlighting someone who is not only creating beautiful and different structures, but who is doing so in a way that is more environmental and eco-friendly.’

smhazlit@syr.edu 

Published on January 29, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Shannon: smhazlit@syr.edu