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Office of Environmental Policy

Low Impact Design

Low impact design is a key component of UConn's commitment to sustainable management and growth. The University continues to seek out new opportunities to further incorporate low-impact design into the University's current construction and renovation projects.

Low impact design is a simple concept - designing and undertaking land re/development in a way that minimizes the effect of rain water run-off and contaminants that modify and pollute our rivers, streams and harbors. These designs can also be designated to lessen our impacts on other aspects of the environment, including physical waste reduction through composting and recycled building materials.

For more information about Low Impact Design, please click here.

Low Impact Design (LID) Goals:

The University of Connecticut is pursuing many initiatives to reduce environmental degradation and encourage smart building throughout campus. Current university goals include:

  1. Rain drop in a leafIdentify opportunities to further incorporate low-impact design components in the University's current construction and renovation projects.
  2. Record and photo-document storm water management practices currently employed at the University to demonstrate compliance and best practices.
  3. Explore the potential for implementing "green roofs" at various locations, including the new library at the Avery Point campus and the new Bolton Road parking garage.
  4. Serve as an advisory figure in the upcoming North Campus planning process, guiding UConn's growth while remaining sensitive to our environmental "footprint."

Initiatives and Progress

In March 2007, the University of Connecticut adopted an additional Sustainable Design & Construction Policy, which specifies the University's objectives to plan, design, construct, renovate and maintain sustainable, energy- and water-efficient buildings

  • Raingardens: With faculty from the Department of Natural Resources Management & Engineering and staff from the Cooperative Extension System, the LID workgroup has successfully recommended that rain gardens be installed to alleviate stormwater runoff in the apartments. The gardens' implementation is currently being documented with high-resolution digital imagery.
  • Composting: A final proposal is being discussed for consideration of a university composting facility.
  • Burton Family Football Complex Mark R. Shenkman Training Center: The Burton/Shenkman facility has been a phenomenal success. The joint building was the first NCAA LEED registered building and the first LEED Silver certified NCAA facility.
  • The North Hillside Road Extension Project: The University is working with Fuss & O'Neill, the project's environmental consultants, to outline an implementation plan including low-impact development features relating to site selection, promotion of alternative transportation, sustainable management and re-use of stormwater, overall water efficient design and light pollution reduction.
  • Arjona-Monteith and Torrey Life Sciences Renovation Projects: The Office of Environmental Policy has submitted applications for Kresge grant funding to support the inclusion of green building materials in both of these construction projects.
  • Green Roofs: The University is exploring several options for implementing green roof technology at its Storrs and Avery Point campuses. A green roof pilot project will be installed on Gant Plaza (Storrs campus) during the spring of 2009. The project, led by Jack Clausen a professor of Natural Resources Management & Engineering, will study the impact of the green roof on stormwater runoff associated with the building.
  • Porous Pavers: Porous concrete and permeable asphalt parking lots were installed in the summer of 2009 outside the Greer Field House and Towers Residence Halls.