CU-ICAR Center for Emerging Technologies Receives Gold LEED Certification 

GREENVILLE, S.C., Aug. 2 -- Not to be outdone by surrounding campus buildings, the Center for Emerging Technologies (CET) at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) has been recognized for its sustainable building design.

The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded the CET Gold LEED certification. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

The building was designed by Greenville architects LS3P and constructed by Sherman Construction.

Fred Cartwright, CU-ICAR executive director, said this recognition is a tribute to the campus’s focus on collaboration and sustainability.

“CU-ICAR helps companies make connections and build relationships,” Cartwright said. “The Center for Emerging Technologies is the embodiment of that business model, and we are extremely proud of the work of the architects, engineers, contractor and others who helped create such a pleasant working environment.”

The CU-ICAR campus boasts another three LEED-certified buildings: Innovation Place and Autopark (LEED Gold); the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center (LEED Silver); the Koyo/JTEKT Group building (LEED Gold — core and shell).

Scott May, LS3P principal and Greenville office leader, said the building’s design anticipates frequent changes in users of both the office space and the lab space. The office areas feature raised accessible flooring to accommodate quick changes in the HVAC, power distribution and data infrastructure.

Lab areas feature open high-bay space with grade-level access and a full range of utility systems. The structural frame maximizes open space with minimal conflicts for column bays. 

Sustainable features in the design include highly efficient recyclable integrated metal panel skin, pervious pavement systems, and high efficiency lighting systems.

“The CET complements the vision and mission of CU-ICAR in both form and function, and represents an excellent example of how sustainable design can promote good business,” May said.

Opened in May 2012, the CET was the first multi-tenant building at CU-ICAR.

More than a dozen companies and groups are in the center, including Sage Automotive Interiors, a spin-off company started by former employees of Milliken and Co. who purchased the company’s automotive fabric division. The company occupies approximately 16,000 square feet.

Located at the heart of campus in Technology Neighborhood I, the 60,000-square-foot CET provides office, administrative and laboratory space for the transportation, technology and energy sectors.

Emerging or established companies are able to expand and develop technologies that complement research by Clemson faculty and students. The center is designed to complete the technology chain from laboratory to the consumer end-user.

The CET also houses the component testing laboratory. The state-of-the-art facility allows Tier 1 automotive suppliers to test interior components under a wide array of parameters, complementing existing full vehicle testing and systems integration research at CU-ICAR.

CU-ICAR

Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research is a 250-acre advanced-technology research campus where university, industry and government organizations collaborate. Clemson's College of Engineering and Science offers master's and Ph.D. programs in automotive engineering at CU-ICAR and is conducting leading-edge applied research in critical areas, such as advanced product-development strategies, sustainable mobility, intelligent manufacturing systems and advanced materials. CU-ICAR has industrial-scale laboratories and testing equipment in world-class facilities available for commercial use, as well as a comprehensive computational center dedicated to solving clients' industrial problems and backed by a high-performance computing infrastructure.

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Source: Clemson University