Ohio U Announces Commitment to Green Building
Ohio University has announced a new policy that requires all new construction and renovation projects to seek to meet or exceed LEED Silver certification. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis as to what level of certification is appropriate to a particular project.
Washington U Opens Building Designed to Meet Living Building Challenge
Washington University in St. Louis (MO) has opened its new Living Learning Center. Located on 2,000 acres of woods, prairie, ponds, and savannahs, the 2,900-square-foot facility is built to meet the Living Building Challenge, a program by the Cascadia Region Green Building Council that contains 16 green building requirements. The center is designed to be a zero-net energy and zero wastewater building and will capture rainwater and purify it for drinking. The facility also features porous paving that will absorb almost all storm runoff, a composting toilet, a 3,000 gallon underground cistern, and a 17-kW photovoltaic system that will power the building.
Western Michigan U Health Building Receives LEED-EB Gold
Western Michigan University's College of Health and Human Services building had received LEED-EB Gold certification. The structure is the first higher education building in the US to receive higher than a LEED-EB Silver award. The 200,000-square-foot building was completed in the summer 2005 and includes cork flooring, motion-activated lights, and rice paper between sheets of glass that provides translucent windows along hallways.
Wheelock College Dedicates Green Campus Ctr & Residence Hall
Wheelock College (MA) has dedicated its new Campus Center and Students Residence Hall. The 58,000-square-foot facility, which provides housing for 108 students, features a green roof and light-absorbing windows and is registered for LEED certification.
San Diego CCD Opens Green Campus
San Diego Community College District has opened its West City Campus, the newest site for its Continuing Education program. The structure, which is registered for LEED Silver certification, features low E-rated windows and solar tubes that help maximize natural daylighting; sensors that automatically dim lights in response to available lighting; low-flow and waterless plumbing fixtures; low-VOC paint, adhesives, and carpeting; and a high percentage of recycled construction materials.
Oregon State U Opens Green Building
Oregon State University has opened the newly renovated Kearney Hall. The structure, which houses the civil and construction engineering programs, is registered for LEED Silver certification.
U California Santa Barbara Housing Complex receives LEED Gold
The University of California, Santa Barbara's San Clemente Villages graduate student housing complex has been awarded LEED Gold certification. San Clemente Villages features four separate apartment buildings with 973 beds in 325 one-, two-, and four-bedroom apartments. The structure, which was completed in fall 2008, is believed to be the largest LEED-certified housing facility on any college or university campus in the country.
U California Santa Cruz Building Awarded LEED Silver
The University of California, Santa Cruz's Engineering 2 building has been awarded LEED Silver certification. The structure, which was completed in 2004, is cleaned with environmentally friendly products, saves 276,000 kW of electricity and 17,000 therms of natural gas annually compared to a similar conventional building, and features trees planted nearby to replace those cut down during construction.
U Florida Football Complex Receives LEED Platinum
The University of Florida's Heavener Football Complex has received LEED Platinum certification. The $28 million complex includes offices, conference rooms, an atrium, and weight-training facilities. The facility’s energy-saving features exceed state and national standards requirements by 35 percent and include low-e glazing on glass, insulation, and reflective materials, which make the heating and air conditioning systems more efficient. The structure also contains energy-efficient lighting and light sensors that turn off automatically when the room is empty; a system for analyzing future energy use; light-colored roofing and concrete pavement on the plaza to keep temperatures lower in and around the building; low flow fixtures, dual-flush toilets, and water-saving shower heads; and a green roof. Additionally, one hundred percent of the building's irrigation is reclaimed water, and native plants combined with non-evaporating sprinklers allow the landscaping to use 50 percent less water. The complex is the first building in Florida and the first athletic facility in the nation to achieve LEED Platinum status.
Pennsylvania State U Student Fitness Ctr, Ball Park Earn LEED Awards
Pennsylvania State University's 26,800-square-feet addition and 19,800-square-feet renovation to its Recreation Hall Wrestling and Student Fitness Center has earned LEED Gold certification. The Rec Hall features natural lighting, minimal site disturbance, re-use of existing facilities, recycled rubber in the fitness-area floor, and use of low-flow fixtures for all plumbing. In addition, PSU's Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, which Penn State shares with minor-league State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League, has earned LEED certification. The 5,500-seat field exceeded the standard ratio for undisturbed land to building site, exceeded the required energy-efficiency code by as much as 10 percent, and made use of recycled and local materials.
Stetson U Opens Environmental Learning Center
Stetson University (FL) has opened its new Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Environmental Learning Center. The 2,800-square-foot building features a geothermal loop system, a rainwater collection system, a gray-water flush system, roofing made of recycled metal, wood harvested from certified sustainable forests, and double-pane windows with Low-E glass, which admits light while reducing heat gain in summer and reducing heat loss in winter. The structure is registered for LEED Gold certification.
Berea College, Emory U Complete Green Hotel Renovations
Berea College (KY) has completed the renovation of Boone Tavern, the campus' hotel. The structure features reserved parking spaces for fuel-efficient vehicles, outlets to recharge electric cars, low VOC paint and carpet, dual flush toilets, and natural daylighting. In addition, the hotel offers fair-trade coffee; ceiling fans and windows that open in all rooms; environmentally friendly shampoos, soaps, and cleaning products; and food grown by Berea College students or bought from Kentucky farmers. Berea plans to register the hotel for LEED Silver certification. The Emory University (GA) Conference Center Hotel has completed a new addition. The new development is registered for LEED Silver certification.
Emory U Building Awarded LEED Gold
Emory University (GA) has received LEED Gold certification for East Village, a student residential complex completed in 2008. The structure features a system that collects rainwater from the roof and the surrounding streets to use as irrigation water during dry periods. Other green elements include the use of natural daylight, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and a highly efficient heating and cooling system.
Penn State Dedicates Green School of Law
The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law has dedicated its new 114,000-square-foot Lewis Katz Building. The structure was designed to meet LEED certification requirements and features a green roof, pervious surfaces, natural daylighting, and local and recycled content building materials. Construction of the building was completed in December 2008.
Roberts Wesleyan College Library Awarded LEED Silver
Roberts Wesleyan College’s (NY) B. Thomas Golisano Library has achieved LEED Silver certification. The $11 million, 43,000-square-foot library features a two-story atrium that supplies natural light with a north-south orientation, cork flooring and sunflower board cabinetry made with materials from local sources, and carpeting that was manufactured with recycled content. In addition, the Library is heated and cooled with a geothermal pump system.
U California Irvine Student Center Awarded LEED Gold
The University of California, Irvine Student Center has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The expansion earned the certification by exceeding energy performance requirements by 35 percent, diverting from landfills 83 percent of construction-generated waste, and incorporating plumbing fixtures that use 42 percent less water than conventional systems. The structure features reflective roofing, waterless urinals, access to public transit and UCI's shuttle system, and low VOC paint and carpet.
U Pittsburgh Opens Green Children's Hospital
The University of Pittsburg Main Campus (UPMC) (PA) has opened the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. The Children’s Hospital’s new $625 million campus includes a 296-bed main hospital and four other buildings on 10-acres. The 1.5 million square feet of usable space features natural daylighting, easy access to public transportation, availability of bike racks and showers, preferred parking for van pools, water efficient landscaping, recycled content building materials, local/regional construction materials, and low VOC sealants, adhesives, paints, and carpets. Two buildings on the campus are registered for LEED certification. The new Hospital also plans to foster its green philosophy by working with clinicians, academicians, and the community to conduct research on the subject of sustainability and its health effects on children.
Virginia Commonwealth U Opens Green Research Building
Virginia Commonwealth University has officially dedicated the $71.5 million Molecular Medicine Research Building. The eight-story, 125,000-square-foot research facility is registered for LEED certification and features water efficient fixtures, an energy recovery wheel in the air handling system, a chilled beam air conditioning system, a green roof, and low hydrocarbon construction materials.
Depauw U Building Certified LEED Gold
The Depauw University (IN) Bartlett Reflection Center has received LEED Gold certification. The building, which is located within the DePauw University Nature Park, is the second building to receive LEED Gold certification on the Depauw campus.
Mesa College Completes Parking Structure with Green Features
Mesa College (CA) has completed a five-level parking structure that accommodates 1,100 cars and includes spaces for alternative-fuel vehicles. The structure also includes green design strategies, materials, products, and construction practices designed to conserve water and energy, reduce waste, and preserve natural resources. In addition, solar panels will be installed on the top level.
Naropa U Open Eco-Friendly Greenhouse
Naropa University (CO) has opened the William D. Jones Community Greenhouse. The new structure is meant to provide students with hands-on experience growing their own food. Local businesses and foundations made gifts to support the Greenhouse Project, which features a subterranean heating system and solar panels. The structure is 100 percent self-sustaining.
R&D Magazine Names Columbia U Lab as 'Lab of the Year'
R&D Magazine has given its Lab of the Year award to the Gary C. Comer Geochemistry Building on the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Campus of Columbia University (NY). Officially completed in late 2007, the building houses extensive lab space focused on advancing our understanding of climate change. High Honors were awarded to the Northwest Science Building at Harvard University (MA), and Special Mention awards were given to the Steacie SuperLab Laboratory Building at Carleton University (ON) and the Catalyst and Material Reliance Technology Center in the City of Surat, Gujarat, India.
U Nevada Reno Athletic Academic Center Awarded LEED Silver
The University of Nevada, Reno has received LEED Silver certification for its Marguerite Wattis Petersen Athletic Academic Center. The 8,300-square-foot, $6.6 million center features natural daylighting, low VOC and recycled content containing materials, bike racks, and an energy management system.
U Utah Opens LEED Certified Geology Building
The University of Utah has opened its new LEED certified geology facility, the $25 million Frederick Albert Sutton Building. The four-level, 91,000-square-foot building features a roof-top garden, on-site storm water capture, xeriscaping, skylights, and a system to display energy and water use.
Virginia Commonwealth U Building Receives LEED Platinum
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Walter L. Rice Education Building is the first building in Virginia to be awarded LEED Platinum certification. The $2.6 million, 4,900-square-foot structure opened last October and features rain gardens, geothermal heating and cooling, high efficiency lighting, high insulation levels, dual flush and power assist toilets, and renewable construction materials.
British Columbia Campuses Receive Funding for Green Infrastructure
Several campuses in British Columbia have received funding from the federal and provincial governments for green building upgrades. University of Northern British Columbia will receive a $21.7 million investment to build a plant that will use waste wood as biofuel and upgrade the campus's heating and cooling equipment and machinery. College of New Caledonia's Prince George campus will receive $19.75 million to renovate some spaces within the John A Brink Centre, and to replace an existing 48-year-old trades training building with a new technical education centre building with sustainable systems that lowers energy consumption and creates more room for trades trainees. Another $9.9 million will build Phase 2 of CNC's North Cariboo Community Campus in Quesnel, which opened in 2006. The University of British Columbia will receive $65 million to renovate research facilities and classrooms originally built more than 50 years ago with sustainable features. The Geoexchange System at UBC Okanagan, which uses groundwater from under the campus to heat and cool buildings, will receive an additional $2.9 million to make the campus emissions-free by 2010. Additionally, the British Columbia Institute of Technology has received $39.1 million to renovate a building on its Burnaby campus. The Campus Gateway Building project will include energy efficiency upgrades such as a micro-electricity grid that harnesses alternative energy sources.
Centre College Dorm Receives LEED Gold
Centre College's (KY) Pearl Hall has received LEED Gold certification. The residence hall features a variable irrigation system, which eliminates the need for permanent and constant use of water for irrigation; low-flow shower heads, lavatories, and sinks and dual-flush toilets; controllability of lighting, heating and cooling; recycling containers throughout the building; front-loading washing machines; high recycled content and regional materials within the structure of the building; and a geothermal heating and cooling system. The building opened in August 2008 and is the first building in Kentucky to receive Gold certification.
Worchester Polytechnic Institute Building Receives Green Award
Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (MA) newest residence hall, East Hall, has been named a Green Building of America Award winner and will be featured in the upcoming Northeast 2009-10 edition of Real Estate & Construction Review: Green Success Stories , published by Construction Communications. East Hall features a green roof, white roofing, natural daylighting, bike storage, and 12 dedicated parking spaces for hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles. The award's goal is to publicize and showcase team members that contribute to helping the environment.
Yale Opens Green Academic Building
Yale University (CT) has opened Kroon Hall, an academic building designed to use 50 percent less energy than a comparably sized building. The $33.5 million building, which will house the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, is expected to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The 56,467-square-foot structure features red oak from the University's own sustainably harvest forests, and east-west orientation, natural daylighting, light and occupancy sensors, a 100 kW rooftop solar array, geothermal heating and cooling, and a rainwater-harvesting system.
Mass College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Opens Green Building
The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has opened its Richard E. Griffin Academic Center, a new six-story academic building. Construction of the facility began in September 2007 and was completed in January 2009. Green features include white roof, a rainwater collection system, low VOC carpeting and paint, and natural lighting. The College says the structure is consistent with LEED certification standards.
Drexel U Building to Features Living Biofilter
Drexel University (PA) has announced plans to include a living biofilter in its new Sciences Building. The multi-story plant wall is intended to improve indoor air quality and reduce the temperature of the air in summer through the plants' natural respiratory properties. The installation will also function as a humidifier during the winter months. Drexel believes the bio wall to be the first in a United States university. The new science building is expected to achieve LEED Silver certification.
U North Carolina to Develop Green Below-Market Housing
The University of North Carolina has announced that they will develop a new neighborhood that will offer university faculty and staff single-family town homes and condominium homes at below-market rates. The home and landscaping of Carolina Commons will also be designed to be as green as possible.
Florida State U Building Receives LEED Silver
Florida State University has received LEED Silver certification for its new McIntosh Track and Field Building. The two-story, 19,000-square-foot structure features local and regional materials, energy-efficient lighting and mechanical systems, low-flow water fixtures, sorted or recycled construction debris, and low-VOC paints.
Second Nature to Support Green Building at Under-Resourced Schools
Second Nature has launched Advancing Green Building in Higher Education, a program focused on addressing some of the challenges faced by under-resourced colleges and universities to build green buildings on their campuses. With a $1,242,000 three-year grant from the Kresge Foundation, Second Nature is helping under-resourced schools learn about and use the financial and technical resources available to construct and renovate campus buildings in ways that save money, reduce environmental and health impacts, serve as educational tools, and increase student enrollment. As part of the program, AASHE is offering Title III and Title V schools a 60 percent discount on new membership. Campuses joining as part of this special offer may participate in a welcome webinar about AASHE resources and programs, as well as a series of complimentary teleconferences on campus sustainability topics such as green building, master planning, and energy conservation. Another part of the program will allow Second Nature to award fellowships to 40 university executives who will learn the skills and technical information they need to be effective champions for green building at their own under-resourced campuses. University campus planners, facilities directors, or vice presidents of finance and business will be eligible for the fellowships through which they will take part in learning and networking opportunities. In addition, Second Nature will create a Campus Green Builder Web Portal, to be launched in the fall of 2009. The portal will include case studies of green building at under-resourced schools and other useful resources.
UC Merced Science Building Receives LEED Gold
The Science and Engineering Building at the University of California, Merced has received LEED Gold certification. The 174,000-square-foot structure features natural lighting and was constructed with locally supplied and/or recycled building materials.
Judson U Building Receives LEED Gold
Judson University's (IL) Harm A. Weber Academic Center has received LEED Gold certification. The 88,000-square-foot building, which opened in 2007, features a passive solar design, stack-induced natural ventilation, and on-site storm water management. The site also contains native prairie and habitat restoration.
Mount Holyoke College Res Hall Receives LEED Gold
Mount Holyoke College's (MA) new residence hall, which opened in September 2008, has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The 176-bed, $30 million building features bike racks, solar panels, and an energy monitoring system that allows students in each of the six clusters to track their energy use and compete with the other clusters on energy conservation. The structure also contains highly recyclable content and rapidly renewable materials.
NY Times Article Covers the Greening of Business School Buildings
The New York Times has published an article on the prevalence of green construction initiatives in business school buildings across the United States. The article mentions green features of business school structures at the University of Michigan, Stanford University (CA), Thunderbird School of Global Management (AZ), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and New York University.
Rice U Opens Green Child Care Center
Rice University (TX) has opened the Rice Children's Campus, a building that meets LEED standards. The structure features reused materials, light sensors, programmable thermostats for each of five separate zones, double-paned energy-efficient windows, and overhands that block the sun. Other green elements include water-efficient fixtures, and 8,000 gallon underground rainwater cistern, and local plant landscaping. The building has a capacity of 86 students, who must be the children of Rice faculty, staff, or students to be eligible for admission.
Rice U Opens Green Graduate Housing
Rice University (TX) has opened the Rice Village Apartment complex, a new green graduate housing hall located close to campus. The 237-bed residence features bicycle storage and was built to LEED standards. In addition, the complex offers a free bicycle to residence who agree not to bring a car to the apartments.
Jackson State U Engineering Building Receives LEED Certification
Jackson State University's (MS) new School of Engineering building has received LEED certification. The 90,000-square-foot facility features environmentally-friendly materials and reduced waste in construction. It is the first state-funded construction project in Mississippi to receive LEED certification.
Simmons College Opens Green Academic Building
Simmons College (MA) has opened its new School of Management and Academic Building, which was built in accordance with LEED standards. The 66,500-square-foot building features recyclable building materials, an efficient heating and cooling system, and low-flow water fixtures. The College is seeking LEED Silver certification for the new structure.
Bunker Hill CC Building Receives Green Design Award
The 48,000-square-foot Health and Wellness Center under construction at Bunker Hill Community College (MA) has received a 2008 Green Design Concept Award from the Education Design Showcase, which will be featured in the College Planning & Management Magazine . The awards go to buildings under construction that will meet or exceed high standards of sustainability. The new structure, at an estimated cost of $22.7 million, will feature large south-facing windows, natural daylighting, a stormwater management system, a white roof, and recycled content containing materials.
CSU Monterey Bay Opens Green Library
California State University, Monterey Bay has opened a new $64 million library that was designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. The 136,151-square-foot building features natural daylighting and a rainwater collection system that irrigates nearby plants.
Drexel U Commits to Green Globes Building Rating System
Drexel University (PA) has announced that it has become the first university in the country to commit to using the Green Globes green building rating system for all new construction and existing campus buildings. The system assesses existing buildings and construction projects for energy efficiency and effects on the environment. The third-party independent assessment process is usually completed one year after occupancy, and will result in a ranking based on Green Globes metrics. The results of all assessments will be posted on the website of Drexel’s sustainability program, “Drexel Green,” and will be available to the public for inspection.
Unity U House Achieves LEED Platinum
Unity House, the home for the President of Unity College (ME), has received LEED Platinum certification. The 1,930 square foot home features a passive solar design, solar panel heating, high-efficiency appliances, and low-flow water fixtures.
U Rhode Island Opens Science Building
The Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences at the University of Rhode Island has officially opened. The 140,000-square-foot facility, which is registered for LEED Silver certification, features a green roof, a rain garden, a stormwater treatment system, daylight harvesting technologies, and an energy efficient heating and cooling system.
Yale U Med School Earns LEED Gold
The Yale University (CT) Amistad Street Building has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The structure, which houses the School of Medicine, features bike racks and showers, locally produced and recycled content construction materials, a storm water collection system, ultra low-flow lavatories, dual flush water toilets, and occupancy sensors.
Washington U in St. Louis University Center Receives LEED Gold
The William H. and Elizabeth Gray Danforth University Center at Washington University in St. Louis (MO) has received LEED Gold certification. The structure features low-flow faucets and low flow toilets, a 50,000-gallon rainwater tank below the building that collects excess rainwater and groundwater, light sensors near every outdoor window, and showers for alternative transportation commuters.
3 Vanderbilt U Res Halls Receive LEED Gold
Vanderbilt University's (TN) Stambaugh, Hank Ingram, and Murray Houses have received LEED Gold certification. Totaling more than 175,000 square-feet, and costing approximately $40 million, the new structures feature a green housekeeping program, a free ride to work program with Nashville's Metro Transit Authority, 26.4 percent recycled content in construction, and a diversion rate of over 74 percent of demolition and construction waste from landfills.
