ICC’s CougarPlex Earns LEED Silver

EAST PEORIA, Ill. — Illinois Central College’s (ICC) CougarPlex athletic facility in East Peoria recently earned LEED Silver certification after construction was completed in 2011. The project included a 54,000-square-foot addition and 9,000-square-foot remodeling to the existing 1970’s Lorene Ramsey Gymnasium, doubling the size of the original facility. Carlton, Ill.-based Leander Construction Inc. served as the general contractor, while Fairfax, Va.-headquartered PSA Dewberry Inc. served as the architect on the $15.2 million project.
The facility features a gymnasium large enough to fit three full-sized basketball courts, a balcony running track, exercise space, classrooms, offices, locker rooms and an area for child daycare. A portion of the existing facility was removed to balance the new student fitness center with the existing performance court. A new entrance allows students and spectators attending athletic events to move though the center of the expanded facility. The project also featured renovations to the baseball and softball fields, where new bleachers and press boxes were provided, as well as the addition of a new soccer field. Master planning for a future aquatics facility and indoor baseball practice facility was also included in the design.
“There is a great demand from students for facilities for fitness and exercise,” said ICC President John Erwin in a statement. “The idea of fitness and wellness is also a big incentive for our employees. It will also allow us to expand our academic programming. For example, students will be able to major in personal training and then seek the appropriate licensing and certification.”
The CougarPlex achieved LEED certification based on energy usage, as well as lighting, water and material usage. The building also features a green roof composed of several varieties of the sedum plant. This succulent perennial, which is planted in removable trays on the CougarPlex’s roof, helps stabilize heating and cooling loads, absorb excessive rainwater and protect the roof from damaging ultraviolet rays. Another major feature of the sustainability effort was preserving the existing competition gymnasium. More than 75 percent of the existing structure was retrofit to become an integral component of the CougarPlex, according to AIA Chicago. The existing building was re-clad with insulated metal panels to improve the envelope R-value and blend its aesthetics with that of the addition.
Troy Hattermann, ICC’s director of facilities planning and design, said the CougarPlex is the first of the college’s buildings to achieve LEED Silver and that it is evidence of the college’s dedication to the environment.
“This award is tangible evidence of both ICC’s Board of Trustees’ and the administration’s commitment to the environment,” Hattermann said in a statement. “ICC board policies were put in place to ensure we are environmentally responsible in all of our projects, and this LEED Silver certification shows how seriously we take that responsibility.”