Ball State University
IN-4: Innovation 4

Ball state university has been working with the USGBC Center for Green Schools in the implementation of the LEED Lab program. Our students and faculty mentors are working with facilities personnel to recertify a LEED Certified building on campus using the protocols of Existing Building Operations and Maintenance. (EBOM)

The students have identified the certification protocols sanctioned by the US Green Building Council which can be applied to such recertification of a high-performing LEED Certified campus building. They have worked with facilities personnel to identify the performance data for the last several years on the operation and maintenance of the selected building. They have mapped a set of recommendations for implementation by the university’s facilities personnel to improve the energy and water conservation performance of this building so as to meet recertification standards of LEED EBOM. This program was originated by the US Green building Council Center for Green Schools and Ball State University was one of the early signatories to the program. We have a long standing memorandum of understanding with the USGBC and will continue to expand the application of this technique to other buildings on campus. The opportunity enables students of differing disciplinary backgrounds to work in collaborative teams to assess, evaluate and recommend the appropriate mitigation/intervention strategies for improving building operation performance while meeting the needs of building occupants. Working with facilities personnel, the students get first-hand, real-world experience in communicating in the language of metrics that supersede the jargon of disciplinary interest; they develop professional reporting, presentation and documentation skills to supplement their routine academic training; and they learn the skills of team-based collaboration. This not only equips the students to take leadership positions with future employers but to stand out in the competitive job market as someone with not only a degree in their disciplinary area but also as someone with practical experience that has been vetted on the national stage.