Santa Margarita Catholic High School is shooting for a silver LEED certificate for its Eagle Athletic Center.

Santa Margarita Catholic High School is working hard to provide the Diocese of Orange with its first certified green building — the high school’s Eagle Athletic Center.

The $8 million center, which is about midway through construction, celebrates a “beam dedication” Thursday. That’s a ceremony in which students, donors and athletes sign a beam that will remain in view after the building is finished this spring.

The event is coupled with lunch, a talk about the green construction methods used and placement of a time capsule in a wall safe.

School President Paul Carey said the project is in keeping with the environmental sensitivity the high school teaches in its classrooms.

Going green upped project costs a bit — perhaps $50,000 to $100,000 in additional design and consulting costs — but the design will also help to save on operating costs down the line.

School spokeswoman Amanda Coronado said the building was registered with the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) project in 2008. The school is seeking a silver certificate. 

 So, what makes the building green? Coronado provides these details:

• 10 percent of building materials are recycled materials
• 75 percent of construction waste will be recycled
• 42 percent less water use compared to a typical building
• 14 percent less energy use than a typical building
• Low-flow toilets, showers and automatic faucets
• Energy-efficient heating and cooling system
• Tile roof system’s cradle-to-cradle process allows 100 percent of material to be used, eliminating excess waste.
• Materials have low volatile organic compounds (VOCs), thus releasing no, or minimal VOC pollutants.

For a look at Orange County’s LEED-certified projects, click here.

 (Photo courtesy of Santa Margarita Catholic High School.)

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