U Maryland Uses Houseplants to Aid Indoor Air Quality
Helping staff and faculty members achieve silver status for its green office program, students from the university's Institute of Applied Agriculture assist in the production of potting and maintaining plants for distribution.
Four U Utah Buildings Earn LEED Gold
Three newly constructed buildings and one remodel exceeded state and university sustainable building mandates. The Marriott Residential Scholars Community is recognized for its location, which is close to train and bus stations, and for its ability to monitor energy use by floor. The Natural History Museum of Utah features photovoltaic panels contributing nearly 9 percent of the buildings' energy, water efficient landscaping and pervious pavement in the parking lot. The Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building includes attention to energy use efficiency and local materials. The University Data Center features high-efficiency server equipment with outside air recirculation to aid cooling efficiency.
Syracuse U Renovation Implements Operational Sustainability
The university's Dining Services implemented a pilot trayless dining program in its Sadler Dining Center after a recent audit indicated less food waste when trays were not used. To further its efforts, diners can now choose to compost their leftovers. The facility also offers a gluten-free spot and a green roof.
U Illinois Chicago to Retrofit Science Building
An upcoming energy retrofit of the university's Science and Engineering Laboratories Complex and a supporting office building is projected to save $1.8 million annually and cut energy consumption by 30 percent.
Binghamton U Building Receives LEED Platinum
The university's Engineering and Science Building incorporates passive solar energy for heating, geothermal technology for heating and cooling, energy-efficient windows and skylights to allow for maximum use of daylight.
Elon U Building Establishes LEED Silver
The university’s 18th LEED-certified building, the Numen Lumen Pavillion features a high-performance building envelope, low-flow water fixtures, occupancy sensors, natural daylighting, and was designed to encourage the use of outdoor spaces. Ninety-eight percent of the construction waste stream was diverted from the landfill.
U Georgia Building Awarded LEED Gold
The university's historic College of Environment and Design Jackson Street building features photovoltaic panels, efficient heating and cooling, rainwater collection and grey-water system, a green cleaning program, recycling collection and public transportation.
Emory U Building Achieves LEED Gold
(U.S.): The university's 10th LEED-certified building, the residence hall features energy efficiency, transportation options, use of low volatile organic compounds in paints, furnishings and carpeting, and a gray water reclamation system.
SUNY Oswego New Laboratory Complements Environment
(U.S.): The university’s new Rice Creek Field Station is set among 400 acres and contains an herb garden, nature trails, and ponds and streams used for ecological research and public engagement. The building uses solar power, rain gardens and landscape swales, and energy-efficient heating, cooling and lighting.
U Iowa Arena Designated LEED Gold
(U.S.): The university's Carver-Hawkeye Arena addition and renovation project, in which 90 percent of the original structure was used, includes water-efficient landscaping without an irrigation system, energy efficiency and energy from biomass, and 20 percent regionally-procured and recycled materials.
Villanova U Introduces LEED Bldgs, Water Bottle Stations + More
(U.S.): Newly implemented and/or completed this summer, the university has two new LEED Silver-certified residence halls, six new hydration stations around campus, and an ionized water cleaning system throughout the campus for floors, windows and disinfectants. The certified buildings include improvements to the lighting and heating, cooling and air conditioning equipment, low-flow bathroom fixtures, low volatile organic compounds paint and access to daylighting.
Boston U Building Achieves LEED Gold
The university’s new Center for Student Services offers a biking system and bike sharing program, vegetative roof, stormwater management, drought-tolerant landscaping, low-flow plumbing fixtures, daylighting, occupancy sensors, and green certified restaurants using 28 percent of the budget on food sourced within 250 miles.
SUNY ESF Showcases New Green Building
The university’s recently opened Gateway Building, which houses a biomass-fueled combined heat and power system, contains a high efficiency building envelope that controls thermal loss and solar gain. The building hosts the university’s new sustainable energy management major and renewable energy minor.
SUNY Oswego Opens Sustainable Building
The new Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation houses a geothermal well, LED touchscreens that monitor the building’s energy usage, foam insulation, reused flyash in concrete, low emission windows and accompanying shades, bike storage and showers, and amenities designed to encourage students to stay in the building, such as Wi-Fi, lounge areas and storage lockers.
U Utah Building Receives LEED Gold
The recently completed James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building’s sustainable features include low volatile organic compound paints, over 20 percent regionally sourced materials, rooftop gardens and recycled concrete material, and over 90 percent of construction debris was recycled.
Northern Arizona U Renovation Earns LEED Silver
Recently completed, the Hotel and Restaurant Management building’s features include use of sustainable and recycled materials, use of natural lighting, composting and Dark Sky-compliance.
U Minnesota Morris Opens Green Residence Hall
Complementing its focus on environmental sustainability, the university’s new Green Prairie Community is a living and learning residence hall for students interested in pursuing sustainable lifestyles. The features of the new community and building include sustainability programming, community meals, on-site food gardens, wind and biomass energy systems for heating and cooling, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
U Northern British Columbia Building Achieves LEED Platinum
Certified by the Canada Green Building Council, the recently certified Bioenergy Plant is the first platinum facility at the university. Features include a focus on sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Berea College Opens Green Residence Hall
The building’s features include photovoltaic panels, a geothermal heating system, high efficiency windows, low-flow plumbing and student-made furniture made with mule-harvested wood from the college’s forest. Design and construction was guided by USGBC LEED and Living Building Challenge by the International Living Future Institute.
Lafayette College Building Receives LEED Gold
The Grossman House for Global Perspectives, the college’s newest student living community, was renovated with sustainable features including reflective windows, stormwater retention tank, a greywater system, demolition recycling and an indoor bicycle storage facility.
U Minnesota Opens New Sustainable Housing
Intentionally designed to foster community among residents, features of the new 17th Avenue Hall include regional and renewable materials, a Fresh Food Company restaurant, a greywater system, a green roof and Energy Star certified equipment.
Prescott College Housing Project Awarded LEED Platinum
(U.S.): The Village’s sustainable features include a photovoltaic array that creates a net zero energy building, high-efficiency design, LED lighting, use of recycled materials, designated parking for low emissions or carpool vehicles, native landscaping and riparian habitat restoration.
SUNY College at Old Westbury Building Earns LEED Gold
(U.S.): The first new academic facility constructed at the college since 1985, sustainable features include natural light, efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, stormwater infiltration, native landscaping and a reflective roof. Approximately 43 percent of the materials were sourced regionally.
U California Merced Building Received LEED Platinum
(U.S.): The Social Sciences and Management building is the university’s 11th LEED certified building. The building adheres to the school’s Triple Net Zero Commitment, meaning that it consumes zero net energy, produces zero landfill waste, and produces zero net greenhouse gas emissions.
Stanford U Achieves LEED Platinum for Existing Building
The university’s Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building incorporates efficient water and energy performance, reduced waste and promotion of alternative transportation. This is the first LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EBOM) certification for the university.
Burlington County College Renovation Awarded LEED Silver
The restoration and adaptive reuse of the college's historic Culinary Arts Center includes water-saving plumbing fixtures, recycled and regionally-produced finish materials, a reflective-coated roof, water-efficient landscaping, photovoltaic solar panels, and minimal parking capacity to encourage carpooling and public transportation.
Elon U Residence Halls Earn LEED Gold Certification
(U.S.): Sustainable features include preferred parking spaces for low-emitting vehicles, a stormwater management plan, geothermal system and a building dashboard for monitoring real-time energy consumption.
U Melbourne on Track for Green Star – Communities Rating
(Australia): The university has committed to achieving Green Building Council of Australia's rating for its Parkville Campus. All new buildings will have a minimum rating design target of 5 Star Green Star, and all major building upgrades will need to achieve 4 Star Green Star.
2 North Carolina State U Buildings Earn LEED Certification
Receiving LEED Silver certification, the university's James B. Hunt Jr. Library features a green roof to assist with rainwater runoff, solar thermal panels and a robotic book retrieval system that enables the library to be 40 percent smaller. The Eastern 4H Center, which earned LEED Gold certification, includes insulation made from recycled denim, recycled ceramic tile, concrete exterior panels, a rain garden and bamboo flooring.
Harvard U Housing Project Achieves LEED Platinum
The newly renovated Graduate Common Area maximizes daylight and incorporates efficient LED lighting. Twenty-seven percent of the project’s construction materials were manufactured within 500 miles.
Historic Harvard U House Awarded LEED Gold
Originally constructed in 1807, the university's Fay House at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study now features ground source heat pumps to provide building heating and cooling and LED lighting. Eighty-seven percent of the existing structural walls, floors, and roof were preserved including the restoration of the wood windows and original hardwood floors.
U Wisconsin-Oshkosh Residence Hall Earns LEED Gold
Horizon Village features a green roof, a geothermal ground-source heat pump for heating and cooling, geothermal hot water production and a designated area for interior bicycle storage. Additionally, the limestone façade from the building formerly on site was recycled for reuse in the fireplace surround in the student lounge.
Indiana U-Purdue U Indianapolis Building Earns LEED Gold
The university's Glick Eye Institute features energy-efficient lighting and heat recovery systems, reduced-flow toilets and sinks, native landscaping, occupancy and air-monitoring systems, and a small rain garden feature and detention structure for irrigation through a drip distribution system.
Jamestown CC Science Center Achieves LEED Gold
Sustainable features include a rainwater harvesting system, vegetated roof garden, sun tunnels, water-permeable pathways, demonstration photovoltaic solar array and a geothermal well system. About 40 percent of the project area is a wetland meadow/habitat restoration space.
Central U Jharkhand Receives National Green Rating
(India): Currently being constructed on 500 acres, the university has received a five-star Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA), the national rating for environmentally friendly buildings.
U California Davis Opens Net Zero Winery
The one-story, 8,500 square-foot building will eventually house equipment and systems for capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide from wine fermentation, and for filtering and recirculating water for wine, beer and food processing. Made possible by a $3 million pledge from the late Jess Jackson and his wife, Barbara Banke, of Jackson Family Wines, the winery is expected to be certified Net Zero Energy under the Living Building Challenge.
U Iowa College of Public Health Earns LEED Platinum
Sustainability features include reflective roofing, natural lighting, storm drainage that uses vegetation and landscaping rather than curbs and gutters, low maintenance and zero irrigation landscape design, waste reduction and recycling practices, occupancy sensors in offices and other common areas to provide lighting as needed, proximity to public transportation routes, and water use reduction through low-flow plumbing.
UC Davis Earns 5th LEED Platinum Certification
The university's new Student Community Center features low-flow water fixtures, hydration stations, high-efficiency lighting, a lawn-less landscape of drought-tolerant plants and permeable paving, and computers powered partly by solar energy. During construction, students from the campus Waste Reduction and Recycling program developed a job-site composting program, and builders also donated scrap materials to the university’s student-run Aggie ReUse Store.
U Utah Residence Hall Receives LEED Gold
The residence hall's high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, heat recovery system, occupancy sensors, and natural day lighting and ventilation have exceeded minimum efficiency standards by more than 30 percent with $55,000 in annual energy savings.
McGill U Launches Green Building Analysis Tool
The Material Analysis Tool, available to the public, is designed to help university staff and contractors select more environmentally friendly materials for new construction and renovation projects. The online ranking system considers manufacturer certification, durability, health impacts, rapidly renewable content, recycled content, recyclability and region of manufacture and extraction.
Loyola Chicago Nursing School Earns LEED Gold
The building features radiant heating and cooling systems, natural ventilation and high-efficiency glazing. Ninety-percent of the building needs no artificial light during the day.
Texas State U San Marcos Housing Complex Earns LEED Gold
The first LEED Gold certification for the Texas State University System was awarded for features including light occupancy sensors and a 40,000-gallon tank that collects condensation from the air-conditioning system and rain run-off to irrigate the three acres of native landscaping surrounding the complex. More than 30 percent of the building materials contain recycled content and more than 35 percent are from regional sources.
College of Saint Benedict Townhomes Earn LEED Platinum
The university is celebrating its first LEED certification with Centennial Commons, a 125-person student housing development. The complex includes high-efficiency windows and furnaces, natural daylight harvesting, on-demand water heaters, low-flow plumbing and exterior LED light fixtures. The university's Residential Life, Facilities and Office of Sustainability have partnered to develop an education program for residents that includes water, gas and electricity usage reports for each apartment.
