Building for the Future

By Adam Gushansky

As the quarter comes to a close, our team has shifted focus to the midterm report and presentation. This transition has provided a convenient time for us to briefly reflect on our overall body of work throughout the quarter, which includes identifying what went well, where to fill in the gaps, and how to move forward. Generally speaking, we came to a consensus that we’re satisfied with the progress we’ve made thus far. We’ve established close ties with our primary stakeholder, Todd Lynch, and Katie Zeller of UCLA Recreation, both of whom have been instrumental in helping us compile data as well as scope our research and the corresponding deliverables. We’ve also begun analyzing Pauley Pavilion’s utility records in an effort to compare the facility’s energy usage to UC energy standards. Looking forward, we plan to build an attainment model for the different LEED accreditation benchmarks (Silver, Gold, and Platinum) with respect to Pauley Pavilion. We’d also like to incorporate an educational component to our project, which would ideally include engaging the UCLA community to better understand the importance of retrofitting existing buildings to become more sustainable. These plans will become more concrete in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we’re going to enjoy a much-needed Spring Break. Talk soon.