USU Moab Academic Building Wins Awards for Best Project in Higher Education, Sustainability

MOAB, Utah — Utah State University Moab’s campus is once again an award-winning structure. The campus was awarded Best Project in the category of Higher Education/Research and also won the special award for Excellence in Sustainability in the Mountain States region. The awards, bestowed by the Engineering News-Record, were announced on Nov. 27.

“Blending innovation and sustainability, the USU Moab academic building reflects our commitment to a greener future,” said Kristian Olsen, senior associate vice president for USU Moab & USU Blanding. “Being acknowledged by ENR as one of the top sustainability buildings in the Mountain States is a proud achievement.”

The USU Moab academic building was dedicated on April 1, 2022, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and officially was completed and opened to students in the Summer 2022 semester. It is a sustainably designed structure, built to harness solar energy as well as using ground sources for both heating and cooling.

Because of this design, the building is estimated to provide 105% of the power that will be consumed annually. This made the building USU’s first net-zero building and one of the greenest buildings on any USU campus. The building’s design prevents an estimated 196 metric tons of CO2 emissions from being released each year. That is the equivalent of more than 22,000 gallons of consumed gasoline or 216,000 pounds of burned coal.

The campus features several innovative and sustainable features, including solar array parking canopies, PVC-free interior finishes, and natural material construction. The building also boasts water conservation measures, including low flow water-sense fixtures and rain harvesting capabilities for native plant gardens. These features, which are all designed to reduce the campus’ carbon footprint, are targeted for the campus design receiving a silver-level LEED certification.

“The collaborative efforts of the USU and MHTN Architects teams turned the concept of a net-zero building into reality,” Olsen said. “Their hard work produced a space that combines beauty with practicality, making a significant contribution to our goal of reducing our carbon footprint. In recognizing this success, we want to express our sincere thanks to Lianna Etchberger, the recently retired AVP of the Moab campus, whose vision and leadership were key to the accomplishment, functionality, sustainability and beauty of the USU Moab building.”

The building provides state-of-the-art facilities and space for programs including nursing, recreation resource management, technical education and more. This includes a dedicated nursing classroom and simulation lab, a science teaching laboratory, as well as spaces for the Welding and Fabrication and Construction and Technology programs. These expanded spaces allow USU Moab to be even better at addressing the needs of the community job market.

The ENR Mountain States Best Project Awards are an annual contest to reward the best construction projects each year. The mountain states include Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. The awards highlight 20 different categories, with the winning projects selected by panels of independent judges. Projects deemed best in category are automatically entered to compete for the national “Best of the Best” awards.

The building was constructed by MHTN Architects and Hogan & Associates Construction. Contributors to the USU Moab building included Peter Lawson, My Good Fund, the Janet Quinney Lawson Foundation, the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Community Development Finance Alliance, Moab Regional Hospital, Desert Rivers Credit Union, Moab City, Grand County, the Holyoak Family and the Rocky Mountain Power Blue Sky Renewable Energy Grant.

Located in the outdoor recreation paradise of Moab and boasting one of the greenest buildings on any USU campus, Utah State University Moab offers students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university. With programs such as Nursing, Elementary Education, Recreation Resource Management and Social Work, technical education in Health Professions, Automotive and Business, and degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees, USU Moab offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at moab.usu.edu.