USGBC ALabama Chapter

Auburn Teams Participate in LEED Competition

Reno 2010 Skanksa LEED Competition

The competition was hosted by the Associated Schools of Construction. There were 1600 students that participated in various problem statements, representing about 30 colleges.  Auburn brought five teams of six.  Auburn Green Builders sponsored the LEED team.  The captain was Vice President Shawn Mancill and the other team members were John Enslen, Patrick Campisi, Elizabeth Folmar, Kurt Funderburg, and Sarah-Ashley McCall.  We also brought a freshman alternate, Kathryn Crowley. 

The teams were given the problem statement and a short presentation about the project in an early morning charette on Thursday.  The project was an addition to a healthcare facility in Tacoma, Washington.  There were five different questions asked involving problems that Skanksa came across during the construction of the hospital.  In one of the problems we were asked to evaluate bids given by rainwater capture system subs, and then determine the effect on LEED 2.2 credits.  In another problem, we were asked to determine the embodied energy in the concrete.  Other problems involved: the water efficiency credits, geothermal system evaluation, and company financing.  On Friday we presented our answers to the problems in a role-playing presentation that represented a construction company meeting with owners and architects.  We were asked to create a fictional company, each of us taking on the role of someone in a construction company.  There were 17 schools competing in the LEED category.  On Saturday, Skanska presented the awards.  Auburn did not place.  This was Auburn’s first year to compete in this category.  We plan to compete next year, and we are already working on our team and our strategy.

From the left: Kathryn Crowley, Elizabeth Folmar, Sarah-Ashley McCall, Kurt Funderburg, Patrick Campisi, Shawn Mancill, John Enslen