MSU Construction Management's Abdelhamid helps Shaw Hall Renovation receive LEED Certification

Michigan State University is well-known for being green. Not just the Spartan green color we all know and love, but also for its strides towards creating a better environment for its campus.

By: SPDC Communications

Michigan State University is well-known for being green. Not just the Spartan green color we all know and love, but also for its strides towards creating a better environment for its campus. 

The University has taken another step in this process with the recent renovations of several buildings on campus, including efforts to decrease the environmental footprint of these buildings. This spring, three renovations from MSU have earned the coveted LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council: newly upgraded Shaw Hall Dining Center, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum and the Bott Building, a new addition to the Life Sciences Building. This highly prestigious award recognizes the best building strategies and practices used in constructing/reconstructing buildings and communities around the world.

Associate Professor Tariq Abdelhamid, PhD, from the Construction Management Program at the MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction, helped coach the team of designers and constructors through the process for close to 30 months on the Dining Center at Shaw Hall renovation. Abdelhamid served as MSU’s Lean Design and Construction process coach. He currently serves the Residential and Hospitality Services Division (Shaw Hall owner) as the Integrated Program Organization (IPO) advisor.

The improvements to Shaw Hall took place using a new process called Lean/IPD (Integrated Lean Project Delivery), which is aimed at maximizing value, minimizing waste and increasing the reliability of project planning and execution during design and construction phases.

The Shaw Hall Dining Center received gold-level LEED certification, the second highest out of four levels of certification—the Broad Art Museum and the Bott Building received silver-level awards. The refurbished dining hall was recognized for its energy-saving features, including variable-speed fans, low-flow plumbing fixtures, light-emitting diode, low-wattage lights and use of reclaimed lumber from demolished barns from Michigan. 

“Shaw Hall was an example of how Lean Design and Construction can facilitate achieving Green features at reasonable and competitive first costs to the owner,” says Abdelhamid. “These awards are simply proof of the steps Michigan State University has taken towards going green, and the efforts and dedication of our staff on the matter.”

Learn more about the Shaw Hall Dining Center Renovation: “A Recipe for Lean IPD at MSU’s New Dining Hall“ and “Three MSU Buildings Earn LEED Certification.”

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