On October 25, the University of Houston celebrated the grand opening of its new Cougar Woods dining hall. The all-you-care-to-eat venue boasts an international line, grill, salad bar, deli, home line and an exhibition station offering customized meals. A fully stocked dessert bar rounds out the offerings in the 600-seat facility.
Cougar Woods replaces an older facility called Oberholtzer that seated only 150 customers and which will now be used for catering until the University Center re-opens. Hours will be 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The first building on campus to qualify for LEED Silver certification, Cougar Woods boasts a design that allows it to save energy by maximizing the use of natural light that flows through its many windows. It also is able to save up to 20 percent of water usage with its plumbing fixtures that were made with water conservation in mind. The building is expected to save up to 30 percent on energy usage through its high-efficiency HVAC equipment and other strategies for reducing energy demand.