July 20, 2018
CLEVELAND — The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USG Corporation (NYSE: USG) have announced UCLA as the winner of the fourth annual USG NACDA Sustainability Award. UCLA was chosen from a pool of three finalists and received the award for its work on the Wasserman Football Center.
The Sustainability Award will be presented to UCLA at an on-campus event this fall.
"At UCLA, our mantra Champions Made Here extends through all our endeavors, whether it be graduating student-athletes, winning national championships or building world-class facilities," said UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. "As an athletics department, we share the University's larger commitment to sustainability, and we take seriously the responsibility to establish and maintain facilities that are not only highly functional for our student-athletes and staff, but also environmentally friendly. We are honored to receive this year's USG NACDA Sustainability Award, recognizing the commitment of so many to create a better-built environment."
The award was designed to recognize NACDA member institutions across all divisions, honoring athletics directors and their universities for incorporating sustainable practices and materials into their athletics facilities. A six-person committee consisting of athletics directors across the country and representatives from USG and NACDA aided in selecting UCLA as this year's award winner.
UCLA will receive $40,000 in USG product as the winner of the Sustainability Award. The other two finalists, Bentley University and Georgia State University, will each win $10,000 each in USG product, for use toward any athletics or academic facility to recognize their sustainable efforts.
"We are very excited to recognize UCLA as the winner of the fourth annual USG NACDA Sustainability Award for the Wasserman Football Center," said John Lindsay, vice president, corporate accounts at USG. "The project creates a high performance, state-of-the-art complex for their football program while delivering on the University's commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency. We are proud to support the efforts of colleges and universities across the U.S. in their efforts to build sustainably and hope this award encourages more organizations to focus on their own sustainable practices."
"The Wasserman Football Center at UCLA is a shining example of sustainability in college athletics today," said NACDA Executive Director, Bob Vecchione. "In addition to the profound impact this facility has made on the Bruins athletics community, the fact that it has attained the highest level of sustainability in a very defined limited footprint on campus is truly remarkable. This facility has set the bar high for those of its kind in terms of serving the environment as well as its constituents."
The Wasserman Football Center has been designed to achieve LEED Platinum® and to that end, the facility is inherently energy efficient and respectful of the surrounding environment and community. From the high-performance façade and smart shading techniques that mitigate solar heat gain while maintaining daylighting and views, to smart air, water, and climate management systems, its environmental impact is minimized, and cost savings are maximized. In fact, through on-site solar thermal systems, and by creating a direct connection with the campus central energy plant to source chilled water and steam, an energy cost savings of 43 percent has been achieved. Contributing to water preservation and further cost savings, natural turf has been removed from the practice field for a conversion to 100 percent synthetic turf. During its construction, 100 percent of all construction waste was sent for recycling, and all exported soil was primarily reused at on-site or other local construction sites, or provided to cap landfills. In place of a traditional HVAC system, a displacement ventilation system supplies single-pass air at low velocity, using less electricity and ensuring air is always fresh and never recirculated.
About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 54th year, is the professional and educational Association for more than 15,700 college athletics administrators at more than 1,700 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 6,500 athletics administrators annually attend NACDA & Affiliates Convention Week. Additionally, NACDA manages 17 professional associations and three foundations. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.
About USG: USG Corporation is an industry-leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions. Headquartered in Chicago, USG serves construction markets around the world through its United States Gypsum Company and USG Interiors, LLCsubsidiaries and its international subsidiaries, including its USG Boral Building Products joint venture. Its wall, ceiling, flooring, sheathing and roofing products provide the solutions that enable customers to build the outstanding spaces where people live, work and play. Its USG Boral Building Products joint venture is a leading plasterboard and ceilings producer across Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. For additional information, visit www.usg.com.
