U California Berkeley Earns LEED Gold for Laboratory Renovations
Renovations to the Morgan Hall Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley have received LEED Gold certification using the LEED Commercial Interiors standard for renovation projects. Former office and storage spaces were updated to create efficient and sustainable laboratories for the Department of Nutritional Science and Toxicology. The university used the renovations as an opportunity to involve students from a service learning class to prepare a video to educate the building occupants, campus community and public about the environmental aspects of Morgan Hall.
Florida State U Building Earns LEED Gold
Florida State University’s Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement has recently earned the university’s first LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features include rainwater harvesting for irrigation, a shared courtyard and the relocation of a 50-year-old oak tree.
Michigan State U Surplus and Recycling Center Awarded LEED Gold
The Michigan State University Surplus Store and Recycling Center has earned LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features include rooftop solar panels, urinals, power washers and rainwater collection that provides 60 percent of filtered gray water for toilets. The center also features recycled green glass mixed into the concrete around the building.
U Wisconsin Madison Dedicates Green Research Facility
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has dedicated its first green research facility, designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. The 300,000-square-foot Wisconsin Institute for Discovery was built to use 50 percent less energy and water than a typical research lab building on campus. The $150 million construction cost was made possible through the support of the university, state government and private donors.
Penn State U Harrisburg Building Receives LEED Certification
Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg’s newest residence hall has received LEED certification. The 30,000-square-foot building opened in August and houses approximately 100 students. Sustainable features include energy-efficient lighting systems, recycled carpet with low VOC levels, low-flow plumbing fixtures and rain gardens. Local resources were also utilized during construction.
American Public U Dedicates Green Academic Center
American Public University System (WV) has dedicated its new energy-efficient academic center, designed to meet LEED Gold certification. Environmentally friendly features were employed during the construction and material selection of the 45,000-square-foot building to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The center will feature an extensive recycling program and two electric vehicles for local travel.
College of the Desert Nursing Complex Earns LEED Silver
College of the Desert's (CA) Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation Nursing Complex has earned LEED Silver certification. Sustainable design features include the use of solar tubes that provide lighting, PVC cool roofing and the use of recycled denim jeans as insulation. The complex was also designed to improve indoor air quality, thermal comfort and classroom day lighting.
Rice U Residence Building Earns LEED Gold
Rice University’s (TX) McMurtry College building has earned LEED Gold certification. The 324-bed residential hall was built as part of the university’s goal to expand its undergraduate population. Sustainable features include smart controls to regulate air-conditioning, motion detectors that turn off lights, passive solar design, thick exterior walls to provide high thermal mass, low flow plumbing and covered bike racks. The building was made possible by a multimillion dollar gift from university alumni.
Wake Forest U Golf Learning Center Receives LEED Gold
Wake Forest University’s (NC) Golf Learning Center has received LEED Gold certification. The building features innovative heat reflecting roofing tile, low VOC paints and adhesives and native landscaping. The golf center’s location also ensures pedestrian access and eliminates the need for an asphalt parking area.
Western Illinois U Multicultural Center Receives LEED Silver
The Multicultural Center at Western Illinois University's Macomb campus has received LEED Silver certification. Sustainable features of the 14,000-square-foot facility include a green roof, energy-efficient lighting and a geothermal heating and cooling system. A number of recycled materials were also used during construction. The university received a $100,000 grant from Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation to offset costs associated with pursuing LEED certification.
Trinity U Renovated Residence Hall Receives LEED Gold
Trinity University’s (TX) Miller Residence Hall has received LEED Gold certification. The 1953 building was renovated at a cost of $4.1 million as part of the university’s ongoing maintenance. Sustainable features include low-flow plumbing fixtures, energy-efficient lighting, increased building insulation and double-glazed windows.
U South Sewanee Building Receives LEED Silver
Sewanee - the University of the South’s (TN) Spencer Hall has received LEED Silver certification. Notable sustainable features of the 49,000-square-foot building include a chilled beam cooling system, low-flow fume hoods, passive solar design, native landscaping and a heat-exchange wheel for continual refreshment of indoor air with fresh outdoor air. The university also diverted 92 percent of on-site generated construction waste from the landfill.
Western Technical College Building Earns LEED Silver
Western Technical College’s (WI) Lunda Center has received LEED Silver certification. Sustainable features include rain gardens, native landscaping, tinted windows and energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems. Durable materials and products that are non-toxic, high in recycled content and easily recycled were used during construction.
Western Washington U Installs Green Roof
Western Washington University installed a green roof on its Miller Hall Student Collaboration Space. The roof consists of a mat system of sedum, a flowering plant that requires little maintenance. The roof will help lower campus heating and cooling costs, reduce stormwater runoff and provide protection resulting in a longer lifespan of the roof.
Wofford College Environmental Studies Center Earns LEED Platinum
Wofford College (SC) has received LEED Platinum certification and a preservation award from a local historical association for its restoration and renovation of the Goodall Environmental Studies Center. Recognized for its attention to historical detail, the project used local and recycled construction materials and 78 percent of the construction waste was recycled. The campus center also features rainwater harvesting for irrigation and a reflective “cool” roof.
Belmont U Debuts Green Building
Belmont University (TN) has dedicated a new environmentally friendly academic building. The 80,000-square-foot McWhorter Hall features a green roof and a water tank that captures excess ground and stormwater. The collected rainfall will be used to irrigate the campus.
U California Irvine Student Housing Earns LEED Gold
The University of California, Irvine has announced that its newest student housing project has earned LEED Gold certification. The $137 million project features two student residential communities totaling 1,760 beds and a seven-level parking garage. The building’s green features include specified cool roofs to lower heat island effects and recycled construction materials. Seventy-five percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill.
U Saskatchewan College of Law Facility Earns LEED Gold
The University of Saskatchewan College of Law’s newest facility has earned LEED Gold certification. The new expansion has reduced water use by 47 percent and overall energy use by 57 percent. The building features two green roofs, passive solar design, ventilation systems that provide outdoor air and 32 percent recycled building materials. Ninety-one percent of the construction waste was recycled.
Wheaton College Science Center Earns LEED Gold
Wheaton College’s (IL) Science Center has received LEED Gold certification. The new 134,000-square-foot facility was built on a previously developed site using recycled steel, brick and acoustical tile, as well as regionally produced materials. Builders used low-emitting adhesives, sealants and paints. Additionally, 70 percent of the building’s electricity comes from a provider of renewable energy and landscaping plants are native to the region.
Appalachian State U Installs Green Roof
Appalachian State University has installed a Living Roofs, Inc. vegetative green roof atop a campus hall in an effort to reduce energy costs. A joint effort between the university's Physical Plant department and Pepco Energy Services, the roof will cool and insulate the building, managing heat caused by concrete exposed to the sun, and provide a way to disperse stormwater more sustainably.
Illinois Central College Constructs Green Roof
Illinois Central College has begun constructing a green roof atop its fitness center as part of an $18 million expansion of the Cougar-Plex. Low-growing plants will be installed to help provide insulation. The college expects the new roof to help reduce energy costs and extend the life of the existing roof material.
Lubbock Christian U Building to Seek LEED Gold
Lubbock Christian University (TX) has unveiled its newest green building, designed to receive LEED Gold certification. Ground source heat pumps will heat and cool the Cardwell Welcome Center, which also features light-colored parking pavement to reflect the sun’s heat rather than absorb it, and shade trees around its perimeter that are irrigated by captured rainwater from its roof. Nearly 85 percent of the construction waste was recycled.
Middlesex County College Residence Hall Seeks LEED Silver
Middlesex County College (NJ) has nearly completed the construction of a 36,000-square-foot building designed to meet LEED Silver certification. Sustainable features include waterless urinals, recycled construction materials and a white roof to reflect heat. Additionally, the grounds include catchments for rainwater to be used for irrigation.
Ohio Wesleyan U Debuts Green Aquatic Center
Ohio Wesleyan University has debuted its $10 million Meek Aquatics and Recreation Center, designed to meet LEED certification. The center was funded with alumni contributions and grants, including $1.1 million in federal funds to support the geothermal energy system to heat and cool the building.
U North Texas Life Sciences Complex Seeks LEED Gold
The University of North Texas’ new Life Sciences Complex will seek LEED Gold certification. The 87,000-square-foot building includes four climate-controlled rooftop research greenhouses designed for plant science research. The complex also features water-efficient landscaping and the inclusion of an underground stormwater retention cistern for landscape irrigation. Additional sustainable features include passive solar design and cost-effective lighting and vent hoods that operate on occupancy sensors.
Westminster College Science Center Earns LEED Platinum
Westminster College (UT) has earned LEED Platinum certification for its new science center. Environmentally friendly features of the four-story, 60,000-square-foot Meldrum Science Center include daylight sensors that control the use of artificial lighting, locally sourced and reclaimed building materials and ventilation and filtration systems. Eighty-five percent of the construction waste was recycled.
Alfred U Residence Hall Receives LEED Gold
Alfred University’s (NY) new 48-bed residence hall has been awarded LEED Gold certification. Sixty-five percent of the wood used during the construction of Ann's House was from forests certified for using sustainable forestry practices and 30 percent of the materials were from local or regional suppliers. Other sustainable features include 15 kilowatts of solar panels on the roof, high-efficiency boilers, individual-room thermostat controls and a passive solar design.
Cooper Union Academic Building Awarded LEED Platinum
The newest academic building at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (NY) has been awarded LEED Platinum certification. The $150 million, 175,000-square-foot building features a green roof, radiant heating and cooling ceiling panels, and an atrium to improve air flow and provide increased interior day lighting. Also incorporated into the design is an operable building skin made of perforated stainless steel panels offset from a glass and aluminum window wall to reduce the impact of heat radiation during the summer and insulate interior spaces during the winter.
Stanford U Unveils Green Building
Stanford University (CA) has unveiled an eco-friendly building in accordance with its own sustainability guidelines. The university will not seek LEED certification for the $118 million, 166,000-square-foot Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building, which will house the university’s environmental science and energy researchers. Sustainable features include windows and shades that shift according to the weather and the angle of the sunlight in order to maximize the efficiency of natural ventilation and lighting. In addition, four large atria provide the center of the complex with ventilation and natural light.
U South Sewanee to Seek LEED Gold for Renovated Forestry Building
Sewanee: The University of the South (TN) has revealed its newly renovated forestry and geology building designed to meet LEED Gold standards. The building’s green features include solar panels, the re-use of the building’s existing woods and stone, energy-efficient windows, recycled materials and the university’s first stormwater management practices. The building now has new labs, classrooms, resource rooms, research space and faculty offices.
Washington U St. Louis Center Earns 'Living Building' Status
Washington University in St. Louis' (MO) Living Learning Center has received the Living Building certification from the International Living Building Institute. A Living Building status is achieved when a project generates all of its own energy through renewable resources; captures and treats its own water through ecologically sound techniques; and incorporates only nontoxic, appropriately sourced materials. The asphalt parking lot where the university's Living Learning Center was built was replaced with pervious concrete walkways, native landscaping and a rain garden. Other environmentally friendly features include salvaged doors and hardware, a bat house with "bat cams" built into the eaves; photovoltaic panels and a 3,000-gallon underground tank that filters and irradiates rainwater collected from the roof with ultraviolet light so that it is clean enough to be potable.
California Lutheran U Debuts Building Designed to be LEED Silver
California Lutheran University has opened its first environmentally friendly building, designed to meet LEED Silver certification. The $8.5 million, 33,000-square-foot social and behavioral sciences center features passive solar design, motorized windows, sensors to turn the air conditioning or heating off in offices and classrooms, light sensors and water-efficient plumbing fixtures. Bioswales were incorporated into the landscaping for stormwater treatment and native, drought-tolerant plants were planted with high-efficiency irrigation. Eighteen percent of the materials used during construction featured recycled content and 22 percent came from within 500 miles of campus.
Ohio Wesleyan U Opens Green Recreation Center
Ohio Wesleyan University has opened an environmentally friendly recreation center designed to meet LEED certification. Sustainable features include a geothermal energy system that heats and cools the building, and a heat recovery system that heats water for the pool. The building also features a reflective clay-tile roof, as well as recycled, regional and low-VOC building materials.
U California Davis Launches Sustainable Winery and Brewery
The University of California, Davis has opened a winery, brewery and food-processing facility expected to meet LEED Platinum certification. The $20 million, 34,000-square-foot research complex was designed to serve as a test bed for production processes and techniques that conserve water, energy and other resources. Environmentally friendly features include on-site solar power generation and a large capacity system for capturing rainwater and conserving processing water. The stored rainwater will be used for landscaping and toilets. The winery has been designed to capture carbon dioxide, a natural byproduct of fermentation, from a port in each of the new fermentors. Additional green features include maximum use of natural light, rooftop photovoltaic cells to provide all of the facility's power at peak load, new food-processing equipment that minimizes energy and water requirements, the use of recycled glass in the flooring, interior paneling recycled from a 1928 wooden aqueduct, and certified sustainably harvested lumber.
Lakehead U Campus Building Earns LEED Platinum
Lakehead University’s (ON) Orillia-based campus has earned LEED Platinum certification for its new academic building. The $43 million facility was funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Knowledge Infrastructure Program and the City of Orillia. Sustainable features include a green roof, geothermal heating system and a rainwater retention pond that collects water for use in the building’s non-potable water functions like toilet flushing.
Richland College Garland Campus Receives LEED Gold Certification
Richland College's Garland Campus has received LEED Gold certification. The building was designed to operate with minimal impact to the environment. The college hopes the building will teach students and the community how buildings can function in ways that are friendly, carbon neutral and environmentally sustainable.
Lehigh U Opens Environmentally Friendly Facility
Lehigh University (PA) has opened a 135,000-square-foot building with teaching and research areas designed to facilitate collaborative learning and eliminate boundaries between the classroom and the lab. The $62.1 million facility will seek LEED Gold certification with features including bike storage, shade gardens, passive solar design, occupancy sensors, low-flow plumbing fixtures, Energy Star roof membrane, a green roof, air quality monitoring system and the preservation of a large portion of the site's original green lawn space. A large percentage of construction materials was recycled and diverted from the landfills.
Dalhousie U Debuts New Green Building
Dalhousie University (NS) has debuted the Mona Campbell Building, the new home for its College of Sustainability. Designed to meet LEED Gold standards, sustainable features include bike racks, a cistern to collect non potable water, organic food selections, 85 heat pumps to re-circulate heat, low-flow plumbing, energy-efficient lighting, a green roof and a solar wall to preheat ventilation air.
Northern College Installs Green Roof
Northern College (ON) has installed a new green roof. The college is experimenting with a modular roofing system that covers the surface with soil and drought tolerant vegetation to capture stormwater, reduce energy and extend the lifespan of the roofing membrane. The college used perennial plants including nine different varieties of sedums and mountain chives. The vegetative surface should improve insulation and reduce the fluctuations in the building’s temperature.
Paul Smith’s College Building Earns LEED Silver
Paul Smith’s College (NY) has earned LEED Silver certification for its 5,800-square-foot Countess Alicia Spaulding-Paolozzi Environmental Science and Education Center. The center, which opened in January 2010, features geothermal heat loops, ductless fume hoods, environmentally friendly building materials and low-wattage light bulbs.
U Akron Offers Green Housing for Students
The University of Akron (OH) has announced the creation of a green-minded student living environment. Known as the EnVision Apartments, the development will consist of 111 two and three-bedroom units equipped with Energy Star appliances, tank-less hot water systems and secured indoor bicycle storage. The apartments will house about 300 residents within its five buildings.
U Colorado at Colorado Springs Events Center Earns LEED Gold
The Gallogly Events Center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs has earned LEED Gold certification. Environmentally friendly features of the building include natural light, reserved parking spaces for high-efficiency vehicles and an energy-efficient heating, air conditioning and ventilation system.
U Pennsylvania Debuts Sustainable Horticulture Center Complex
The University of Pennsylvania's Morris Arboretum has completed its $13 million Horticulture Center Complex. The 20,840-square-foot facility was designed and built to LEED Platinum standards with photovoltaic panels, solar hot water heaters, stormwater collection cisterns, green roofs on the equipment storage garages and a ground-source heat pump that will provide heating and air conditioning for the complex using only about one-fourth of the energy of a typical boiler and air conditioning system.
U Phoenix Idaho Campus Receives LEED Gold
The University of Phoenix has earned its first LEED Gold certification for its Meridian, Idaho, campus building. Environmental features of the 40,000-square-foot facility include bicycle storage, a white roof, low-flow plumbing fixtures, an energy-efficient HVAC system and passive solar design. Ninety percent of the construction waste was recycled.
Ball State U Dedicates Green Residence Hall
Ball State University (IN) has dedicated its newest residence hall. Kinghorn Hall was designed and built to meet LEED certification standards with two “bioswales,” a landscape element designed to remove pollution from runoff rainwater.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Opens New Green Building
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has opened Building E62, the newest green building on campus. The building was designed to meet LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features include automatic window shades, recycled glass in the terrazzo flooring, a green roof, sensors for heat and cooling, and lights that turn on only when someone is using a room. Solar panels are planned for part of the roof but have not yet been installed. The building uses triple-glazed, reflective and opaque glass in different places to allow the right amount of sunlight in. Ninety-two percent of the existing building on the site previously was reused or recycled.
U Maryland Building Earns LEED Gold
The University of Maryland has earned LEED Gold certification for its new journalism building. Sustainable features of Knight Hall include a 10,000-gallon rainwater system used to irrigate the surrounding gardens, motion sensors and passive solar design.
New Mexico State U Football Coaches Building Awarded LEED Silver
New Mexico State University's Football Coaches Office Building has been awarded LEED Silver certification. More than 88 percent of construction materials for the 6,749-square-foot building were diverted from landfills and more than 20 percent of construction materials were made from recycled content. Ninety-five percent of the building's occupied space is lit by natural daylight and the building uses 45 percent less water through water-efficient installations.
Princeton U Opens Green Chemistry Laboratory
Princeton University (NJ) has opened the doors of its Frick Chemistry Laboratory. The building's four-story atrium features 216 photovoltaic panels on the glass roof that convert solar energy into electricity and offer shade by letting in a controlled amount of light. Integrated mechanical systems enable the transfer of cooled and heated air from offices through the atrium into the laboratories, reducing the amount of outside air that must be conditioned to meet the ventilation demands of the labs. A sustainable monitoring display will show the building's investment in energy and energy savings and 200 high-efficiency fume hoods have been installed at work areas. The 265,000-square-foot building also features a 12,000-gallon rainwater cistern that collects and recycles stormwater for non-potable use.
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography Earns LEED Gold
With instructional space for marine science students from the University System of Georgia, the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography's Marine and Coastal Science Research and Instructional Center (GA) has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The center's energy-efficient orientation minimizes its east-west exposure, reducing the heat absorbed from the sun. Other sustainable features include a solar hot water heating system, a 1,000-gallon cistern to capture rainwater and 6-inch foam insulation.
