USGBC Natural Talent Design Competition 2009 - Charlotte Chapter

Project Context & Location
On 24 November 2007, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) began operation of the 9.6-mile (15.5-km) LYNX Blue Line light rail, which had been under construction since February 2005. The line extends from central (“uptown”) Charlotte southward to near the Interstate 485 expressway, running more or less parallel to South Boulevard and the Interstate 77 expressway. Part of it uses an abandoned Norfolk Southern Railroad right of way, and part runs alongside NS tracks that remain in freight service. The section of this right of way between central Charlotte and Tremont Avenue has already used by the Charlotte Trolley, a heritage streetcar operation that will run in mixed service with the LYNX trains beginning in spring 2008.
http://web.presby.edu/~jtbell/transit/charlotte/LightRail/

Competition Challenge
Each team will be asked to design a new branch of the Mecklenburg County Library using LEED® NC or Commercial Building Design and Construction rating system. The design team will be required address five key areas:

1. Education – the design will require that the team communicate the design by documenting the reasoning and intent of the integrated design strategies used on the project and how the project could potentially contribute to the development of an educational manual to teach the community about how the building incorporates sustainable strategies and how they themselves could become more sustainable.
2. Natural Resource Use – teams will be expected to include resources used in the basis of their design decisions. Included in this analysis are the considerations for materials, technologies, site positioning for use of solar efficiencies, storm water runoff, and natural ventilation.
3. Materials – the design should consider material life cycles in terms of their durability, flexibility, VOC and other contaminate content, and the recyclable or reusable content.
4. Regional Relevance – teams will be asked to address the regional/cultural conditions of the site in regards to their choice of materials, cultural precedent, and community connection in developing a sense of place for the project.
5. Innovation - designs should incorporate sustainable strategies not specifically defined by LEED criteria.

Brief (PDF)