By Joshua Knopp/tr news editor
TCC received the Trailblazer Award for Sustainable Development Sept. 16 for the environmental innovations on TR Campus.
Downtown Fort Worth Inc., which hands out the awards, praised the campus’ efficiency and care in renovation.
“TCC, capitalizing on a soft market and a rare real estate opportunity, purchased the LEED silver-certified Radio Shack headquarters and converted 572,000 square feet of office space into a portion of their downtown campus,” the group’s web site said in its segment on the awards. “These extensive renovations maintained the building’s silver certification.”
The organization also singled out the new East Campus as an important factor in the award.
“TREC … incorporates numerous environmentally friendly features. The outdoor plaza takes advantage of prevailing breezes, a large water feature and shade to create a series of pleasant microclimates, and the building capitalizes on natural light and highly efficient mechanical systems,” the site said.
Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley said the award was the result of a lot of work from the administration.
“It’s a wonderful award for the college and for our board of trustees as well as the staff because it’s a team effort for the award,” she said. “It’s been a pretty long journey getting to where we are today.”
Mark Dabney of Gideon Toal, the design company that converted TREC from a generic school into a specific nursing and allied health building after the Radio Shack headquarters were purchased, said many features make TREC efficient.
“This is not a LEED-certified facility, but it’s good to know that if they pursued it, we would have had a higher rating than the Radio Shack campus,” Dabney said.
“The way the heating and cooling system work is very efficient.”
Dabney said energy savers include natural light and white roofs to reflect heat, lowering the costs of lighting and air conditioning.
He also thought it was important that the campus wasn’t pushing on the perimeter of Tarrant County.
“This is an urban site,” he said. “Rather than going out, it’s been building within.”
Vice chancellor of communications Reginald Gates said it was an honor for the college district to win this award.
“I think it’s fantastic to have a facility recognized, particularly for its sustainability,” he said. “It just kind of welcomes you to the Trinity [River], right down to the end of town.”
