
VG Project Manager Preps UCLA ASCE Students for Competition Win
Verdical Group’s Project Manager and Energy Analyst Ritika Dhamija recently virtually joined UCLA’s ASCE student construction management group (pictured above pre-COVID) for a presentation on LEED requirements and how a building is evaluated to fill out preliminary scorecards.
Ritika volunteered to prepare the students for a virtual ASC competition, which included a total of 150 schools and was held in early February 2021. The group secured 1st position in the sustainability category and 2nd position in the mixed-use category. They also participated in the design-build competition.
During Ritika’s presentation, the group was introduced to LEED categories, credits, and their synergies with the California Green building code. The intent was to help them understand how an initial scorecard is prepared.
As part of the competition, the group was asked to put together a LEED Gold scorecard for Fire Station – 35 San Francisco. Below are some strategies that were suggested to reach 73 points for LEED Gold certification:
- Including solar panels on the roof
- Including thermal insulators by selecting materials that would stand up to harsh marine climate and also offer environmental benefits.
- Cool Metal Roofing with steel panel so that the roof is highly reflective
- The site’s ideal location helped score high points as it is served well by transit.
Congratulations to UCLA’s ASCE Chapter on their big wins!