• Meet the Trainers: Jane Ahrens and Michael Kawecki
• University of Texas Installs Green Bike Racks; Drop in Auto Traffic Results
• Certification Success Story: Paul Deal
• Green Tips from Ian Heckman
• Green Advantage Promotes Green Building During Exploratory Trip to Ireland
• The Greening of College Campuses
• Dallas Adopts Green Building Standard for Homes and Businesses
• Feature on Daylighting
• Make the Most of Energy Efficient Tax Credits for 2008

University of North Texas Takes Lead on Greening; Reports Drop in Auto Traffic

University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, took one simple but dramatic action that has resulted in a noticeable reduction in students driving cars on campus. In January of this year, Helen Bailey, AIA, with UNT's Facilities Management & Construction, asked university contractor, Nouveau Construction & Technology Services, LP, to install 70 new bicycle racks at various locations around campus. The bike racks were typical galvanized steel but Bailey required use of "EF Technology" concrete, which has an increased fly ash content (see website at www.us-concrete.com).

The initial motivation was to encourage students to bike instead of drive to class and school activities. UNT changed its policy recently to allow bikes within the pedestrian precinct of the campus. Prior to that, bikes had to be parked at the perimeter of campus due to safety concerns with bikes running into pedestrians on sidewalks. Under Ms. Bailey's design, Paul Deal, regional project manager for Nouveau, led the installation.

Mr. Deal, who became GreenAdvantage® certified early this year, explains, “These bike racks were installed on new “fly ash” environmentally friendly concrete pads. We reused all formwork for the entire project. All removed soil was re-disbursed on campus as needed for landfill. The sub base for the concrete was a 4” sand base acquired from a local landfill site. There was minimum site disturbance resulting in no construction runoff.”

The overwhelming response to the project convinced the Campus Police Department, the agency responsible for campus traffic regulation, to encumber enough funds to modify and reuse 29 more bicycle racks which were previously in storage. The racks, each designed for 8 to 15 bicycles, were installed using the same methods as the first phase.

Throughout the course of the project university officials noticed more and more bicycles showing up across the campus. Ms. Bailey expressed surprise that, “As soon as the bike racks were installed they were being used. We put them in one by one and as each one was installed, we would find bikes chained to it just about as soon as the construction tape was removed. Obviously the students appreciated them.”

Prior to the project's start, UNT had rack parking capacity for 1,215 bicycles. Since the completion of the project the university now has a capacity for 2,225 bicycles, an increase of approximately 83 percent. On any given day there are now approximately 2,000 bikes on campus.

Not only are more students using pedal power to get around campus, but the green design cost the same as standard construction techniques.

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