LACCD District-Wide Sustainability Initiative Leverages PURETi
PROJECT SUMMARY
LACCD-BUILD Green was a $5.7 billion green building project that spanned over 500 buildings on 9 separate college campuses, covering nearly 900 square miles in Los Angeles, CA. The goal of LACCD-BUILD Green was to modernize its colleges while protecting the environment by embracing nationally recognized environmental standards and guidelines to improve the quality of life for its 250,000 students, teachers, and affiliates.
At completion the District had 85 new buildings that met the US Green Building Council’s LEED standards with nearly 20 of them certified LEED Platinum and a significant share of the District’s energy requirements met with renewable energy.
PURETi was introduced to the LACCD by an environmental consultant retained to investigate ways to prioritize sustainability in the ongoing maintenance program. Goals included reducing associated water and energy consumption while at the same time maintaining high standards of appearance.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Industry: Education
- Customer: Los Angeles County Community College
- Scope: PURETi applied to Over 1 million sq. ft. of the building exterior, windows, and roofing.
CHALLENGE
- Identify a sustainable and cost-effective way to keep campus structures clean while reducing maintenance costs (water, energy, chemical usage, and labor).
- Sustainably improve the efficiency of photo-voltaic arrays by reducing the de-rating impact of soiling.
RESULTS
- 50% reduction in associated facility maintenance costs
- 17% increase in energy production from solar carport system
- Significant reduction in associated water usage
Solution
Based on the observed successful performance at one building in preventing soiling and reducing maintenance, the LACCD Sustainable Building Program specified the application of photocatalytic TiO2 solutions to 1 million square feet of building façade, glass and roof surface treatments to save on the energy, water, and chemicals used in maintenance, to help purify the air through smog reduction, and reduce building maintenance costs associated with labor.
PURETi was selected in an open bid process as the solution for this project meeting the subjective, self-cleaning, and building maintenance cost reduction criteria established by the LACCD.
“We went with an innovative titanium dioxide coating that wards off dirt and pollution, removing organic pollutants from the air and reversing the effects of greenhouse gases. It proved a major success and will cut our maintenance costs for years to come.” —Executive Director, LACCD-BUILD Green
In addition to improved building appearance with lower maintenance costs, LACCD significantly reduced water consumption and increased energy output of treated 17% versus non-treated photovoltaic arrays.
Five years later, the PURETi treated surfaces are significantly cleaner than the untreated controls.
