by Kyle Massey
A Conway project by Little Rock sustainability and energy service company Entegrity has been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
The USGBC honored the Mary Ann and David Dawkins Welcome Center at Hendrix College, a newly constructed 17,550-SF building praised for its design and efficiency components.
Entegrity provided LEED consulting, building modeling and other services for the project. The structure, built by general contractor Nabholz Construction, was designed by Kirchner Architecture and had Bernhard TME as its mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer.
Hendrix College alumni Jared Rickman and April Ambrose were consultants on the project for Entegrity, which recently led a campuswide efficiency conversion, converting more than 15,000 lights to LED technology, resulting in annual energy cost savings of $200,000. Automated controls and Entegrity’s commissioning services also enhanced equipment and energy performance. In all, the college saw a nearly 35 percent reduction in energy costs for the building, when compared with a standard building of the same type and size, according to an Entegrity news release.
Ambrose said that as alumni, she and Rickman enjoyed “this opportunity to take part in Hendrix’s ongoing investment in sustainability. The new Welcome Center aligns the traditional welcoming aesthetics of the campus with the college’s growing sustainability initiatives.”
Hendrix is proud to show off the building to prospective students and their families while highlighting “the college’s desire to care for the environment,” said Sam Nichols, Hendrix’s vice president for enrollment and chief information officer. “Sustainability has been a campus priority for many years, so having Dawkins as a LEED Certified facility made good sense and is consistent with our values.”