On October 21st,
the annual international meeting of the EAIE (European Association of
International Education) was held online, where the integrated campus of Loyola
University was presented. Designed by luis vidal + architects, the campus has
become a reference of sustainability recognized with a LEED Platinum
certification.
Due to the thorough work
carried out on the design by luis vidal + architects, the result is a campus at
the forefront of sustainability, accessibility, technology, responsibility and
integrated design. Thanks to all these measures and after passing exhaustive
controls and checks, the Loyola University integrated campus is the first in
its kind in the world to receive the highest LEED Platinum sustainability
certification, granted by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council).
The sustainability of the
facilities, the efficiency of water and energy consumption, the use of local
materials and resources with low environmental impact, the interior
environmental quality and the design and innovation carried out throughout the
project, have been key points when designing and building the entire complex.
In addition, with strong commitment by Loyola University, a campus has been
obtained at the service of users and the entire community.
During the presentation
at the EAIE, Luis Vidal explained that more than 50% of the materials are
reused, as well as locally extracted and produced, that native vegetation has
been chosen for the landscaping of the campus and that a rainwater management and
a partial water recovery system have also been built. Additionally, through
active and passive energy efficiency measures, the building saves 40% of the
energy consumption, which represents a great leap in sustainable and
environmentally responsible architecture.
After only 17 months of
construction time, the campus has been in full operation since September 2nd,
2019. With capacity for 2,500 users, between staff and students, the campus has 29,000 m2
of built-up area distributed between the main building, library, chapel, sports
building, changing rooms and the entrance building, it has the capacity to be
flexible and versatile to all future circumstances, such as the global pandemic
which we are all living since the
beginning of this year.
During the presentation,
Nancy Tuchman, Founding Dean of School of Environmental Sustainability at
Loyola University Chicago, congratulated Loyola University and luis vidal + architects
for their commitment demonstrated today by having built the most sustainable
integrated campus in the world.