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Introduction

Buildings are generally the largest user of energy and the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions on campuses. Buildings also use significant amounts of potable water. Institutions can design, build, and maintain buildings in ways that provide a safe and healthy indoor environment for inhabitants while simultaneously mitigating the building’s impact on the outdoor environment.

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Energy Efficiency Strategy

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

Project Overview

We began by providing a platform for all key stakeholders, including faculty, facilities and capital planning managers, and administrations, to have their perspectives considered through the interviewing process …

The Climate Resiliency dashboard enables the MIT community to understand projected potential risk to the campus from flooding and heat (heat to be added in 2021) under both today's climate and a future changed climate.

MIT Climate Resiliency Initiative

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)

MIT’s Climate Resiliency initiative was launched in 2016 as a multifaceted, collaborative effort centered on preparing the campus community in collaboration with the City of Cambridge for the impacts of …

Campus Map

Bennington College Commons Renovation

  • Bennington College (VT)
  • Efficiency Vermont (VEIC) (VT)

Bennington College’s Commons building is the original center of its 1932 campus plan. This 45,120 square-foot renovation is the first substantial upgrade to the building since its inception. It reinforces …

Green Building, Green Behavior? An Analysis of Building Characteristics that Support Environmentally Responsible Behaviors

  • Texas Tech University (TX)

This study examines the environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs) of undergraduates (n = 575). ERBs were measured in an online survey and the influence of situational context on behavior was explored …

Energy Efficiency Improvement in K-12 Schools: A Case Study in Florida

  • Florida Institute of Technology (FL)

K-12 schools are responsible for over 1.4% of the total annual energy consumption in the United States. In a collaboration between Florida Institute of Technology and Brevard Public Schools (BPS), …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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Lessons from unsuccessful energy and buildings sustainability actions in university campus operations

  • University of Coimbra

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are increasingly striving to deploy actions that promote the efficient use of energy and other resources on university campuses. Successful sustainability initiatives are vastly described in …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
  • Publications
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Exploring transformative pedagogies for built environment disciplines: the case of interdisciplinarity in low carbon transition

  • Oxford Brookes University

The integration of transformative pedagogies into curricula is recognized as a strategy to deal with the new demands of complexity in learning, which include equipping future professionals with the necessary …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
  • Publications
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The motivation and development impact of energy saving to sustainability in the construction of green campus: a case study of the Zhejiang University, China

  • Zhejiang University
  • University of Kitakyushu (Fukuoka)

The construction of green campus is related to the global sustainable development. Under the guidance of campus energy-saving policy, China’s green campus mainly focuses on campus’ energy saving. In contrast, …

  • Posted April 21, 2021
  • Publications
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IoT Platform for Energy Sustainability in University Campuses

  • University of Coimbra
  • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
  • Comillas Universidad Pontificia (Madrid)

University campuses are normally constituted of large buildings responsible for high energy demand, and are also important as demonstration sites for new technologies and systems. This paper presents the results …

  • Posted April 21, 2021
  • Publications
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Smart and learning campus as living lab to foster education for sustainable development: an experience with air quality monitoring

  • University of Passo Fundo
  • Universidade federal de Santa Maria

Higher education institutions are widely known both for their promotion to education for sustainable development (ESD) and for their contribution as living labs to urban management strategies. As for strategies, …

Business Schools as Living Labs: Advancing Sustainability in Management Education

  • Duquesne University (PA)

The buildings in which we teach management and decision analysis are ideal labs for advancing sustainability in management education, experiential learning, and integrated performance measurement. Utilizing building-based learning and design …

Maximizing the Financial and Environmental Benefits of Distributed Energy Resources

  • New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJ)
  • GridMarket (NY)

AASHE member, GridMarket, partnered with the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability for a "lunch and learn" in December 2020. The webinar summarized current opportunities for higher education campuses …

  • Posted Feb. 2, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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Impact of “healthier” materials interventions on dust concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and organophosphate esters

  • Harvard University (MA)
  • New York University (NY)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and organophosphate esters (OPEs) are found in building materials and associated with thyroid disease, infertility, and impaired development. This study’s objectives …

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
  • Publications
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Willingness to pay for green buildings: A survey on students’ perception in higher education

  • University of Delaware (DE)
  • University of New Haven (CT)
  • TED University

For most students in higher education, a green residence hall could form their first impressions regarding green buildings. As these students may be expected to make decisions regarding their place …

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
  • Publications
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Master of Science in Building Performance & Diagnostics (MSBPD)

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

The Master of Science in Building Performance & Diagnostics (MSBPD) degree program is intended for practitioners, researchers, and educators in architecture and the building industry who wish to be leaders …

  • Posted Dec. 17, 2020
  • Academic Programs
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PhD in Building Performance & Diagnostics (PhD)

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

The PhD in Building Performance & Diagnostics degree program is intended for practitioners, researchers, and educators in architecture and the building industry who wish to be leaders in advanced building …

  • Posted Dec. 17, 2020
  • Academic Programs
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Architecture-Engineering-Construction Management (MS)

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

The AECM programs prepare building-delivery professionals for careers in capital project delivery dealing with the entire life-cycle of capital projects, from pre-design to design, construction, commissioning, operation, and maintenance stages. …

  • Posted Dec. 17, 2020
  • Academic Programs
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Architecture-Engineering-Construction Management (PhD)

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

The PhD-AECM degree program is intended for practitioners, researchers, and educators in engineering, architecture, construction management fields, and other professionals in the building industry who wish to be pioneers and …

  • Posted Dec. 17, 2020
  • Academic Programs
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Green Campus

Better Buildings Challenge Learnings: 3 Ways to Reduce Energy Use on Campus

  • Evolution Energy Partners (PA)

Universities across the country are committing to reduce their energy usage to save money, create jobs, and avoid significant emissions of CO2. By joining the Better Buildings Challenge, universities commit …

  • Posted Oct. 23, 2020
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Methods and Effects of Mechanical Ventilation, Ultraviolet Light and Bipolar Ionization on Airborne and Surface Borne Pathogens

  • Evolution Energy Partners (PA)

The advent of SARS-CoV-2, the strain of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, has changed the way building owners and operators must look at treating the air in their buildings. In …

  • Posted Oct. 23, 2020
  • Publications
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Universite Laval - Aerial view photograph

  • Université Laval (QC)

Aerial view of the campus.

Students Study While Overlooking the Olver Design Building Atrium

UMass Amherst Olver Design Building

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)

The atrium of the Olver Design Building and students studying while overlooking the Olver Design Building Atrium.

Washington and Lee University Individualized Energy Dashboard for Students

Washington and Lee University Individualized Energy Dashboard for Students

  • Washington and Lee University (VA)

2020 Sustainable Campus Index submission - Washington and Lee

Individualized energy dashboards for students - Following the installation of Lucid Energy Dashboards and submeters on upper division housing, Washington & …

Living Community Challenge Biophilic Design Research Identifying Positive Examples of "Placed Based Relationships"

CSU Monterey Bay - Living Community Challenge - Biophilic Design Study

  • California State University, Monterey Bay (CA)

In partnership with an environmental studies research course, CSU Monterey Bay developed a Biophilic Design Framework Study. With this study, we will be able to inform future projects, ensuring that …

Humber College - Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation

Humber College - Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation

  • Humber College (ON)

The 93,000 sq. ft. Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation was opened. It is built to achieve LEED-Platinum certification (currently under review) and is a net-zero energy building, offset by solar …

Humber College - 700kW solar panel installation

Humber College - 700 KW solar array

  • Humber College (ON)

Select photos of highlighting Humber College's Sustainability program, in relation to our STARS 2019 report, and for inclusion in 2020 SCI publication.

Opened in 2019, a new Commuter Hub (100 …

Humber College NX Building Deep Energy Retrofit

Humber College - Deep energy retrofit

  • Humber College (ON)
  • Morrison Hershfield (ON)

NX building retrofit project - Building NX at Humber College underwent a major retrofit to become one of the most energy efficient buildings in North America, while also claiming the …

The downtown Madison Isthmus and the Wisconsin State Capitol, along with Monona Bay and John Nolen Drive, are pictured in an early morning aerial taken from a helicopter on Oct. 23, 2018

University of Wisconsin-Madison - Campus Photo

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

The downtown Madison Isthmus and the Wisconsin State Capitol, along with Monona Bay and John Nolen Drive, are pictured in an early morning aerial taken from a helicopter on Oct. …

  • Posted Sept. 29, 2020
  • Photographs
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ASHRAE Guidelines & Solutions for University Energy Programs Going Forward

  • Weber State University (UT)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • DLR Group (WA)

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing university energy and sustainability teams to overcome new challenges in managing energy costs and reaching reduction goals. All three course delivery formats, in-person, remote, and …

  • Posted Sept. 24, 2020
  • Videos & Webinars
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Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Digital Construction

  • Swinburne University of Technology

Civil infrastructure research at Swinburne is undertaken within the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Digital Construction (CSI). Infrastructure is critical to the economic wellbeing of Australia with some $30 billion …

  • Posted Sept. 22, 2020
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies

  • Concordia University (QC)

The mission of the CZEBS is to reduce the environmental impact of buildings while enhancing their safety and comfort. This is accomplished by advancing knowledge through research and the building …

  • Posted Sept. 22, 2020
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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The House at Cornell Tech

  • Cornell University (NY)

The House at Cornell Tech is the largest Passive House residential building to date, integrated within an 800,000 square foot campus designed to push the boundaries of sustainable city living. …

  • Posted Sept. 11, 2020
  • Case Studies
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Cost Savings and Carbon Reduction through DERs -- GridMarket Facilitated Project at Paul Quinn College

  • Paul Quinn College (TX)
  • GridMarket (NY)

GridMarket worked with Paul Quinn College to help them identify and maximize their unique DER opportunities.

GridMarket -- an energy consumer advocate and distributed energy resources project facilitation platform -- …

  • Posted Sept. 11, 2020
  • Case Studies
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Fun Family Outing under the highway

Butterworth Outer Ring Road Community Engagement Day

  • Universiti Sains Malaysia

Community engagement day held at the Bagan Dalam Butterworth. The community is a B40 community from different ethnicity such as Malay, Indian and migrant workers. Migrant workers include Rohingya, Nepalese, …

  • Posted Sept. 11, 2020
  • Outreach Materials
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Webinar: Managing Surplus Property for Zero Waste

  • College & University Recycling Coalition (DC)

CURC learned in a 2019 survey that managing surplus property was a key interest of members to learn about. What strategies for managing surplus property work on different campuses, public …

  • Posted Sept. 11, 2020
  • Videos & Webinars
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Factors Impeding the Integration of Sustainability Elements in Built Environment Academic Curricula

  • University of Uyo (Akwa Ibom State)

Development within the construction industry shows that higher education is critical in the sector’s skills improvement. However, research findings are also explicit about absent and shadow integration of core sustainable …

Retrofitted NX Building

First Net Zero Carbon Building certification for a retrofit in Canada: Humber College NX building

  • Humber College (ON)

Located in the center of Humber’s North Campus in Toronto, Building NX has transformed from one of the campus’ most inefficient buildings, to an industry-leading example of zero carbon excellence. …

Enhancing Growth in Rooftop Gardens with CO2 from Human Respiration Inside Buildings

  • Boston University (MA)

Cities are essential areas for human society. They face many environmental challenges while providing opportunities for integrating human infrastructure with the surrounding environment. This study proposes a system whereby carbon …

A Machine Learning Based Tool for the Assessment of Energy Consumption in K-12 Schools

  • Florida Institute of Technology (FL)

Energy costs are the second highest operational expense for K-12 schools in the United States. Improving energy efficiency and moving towards sustainable school buildings not only result in substantial cost …

Goggin 1

Converting Miami University’s Goggin Ice Center from Steam to Heating Hot Water & HP Chiller: Reduced Energy Use, Carbon Emissions and Utility Costs

  • Miami University (OH)

We recognize that this innovative large scale project is replicable only at other universities that have ice arenas. Ice arenas tend to be very energy intensive. We show that converting …

Students performing energy audit 1

ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN K-12 SCHOOLS: A CASE STUDY IN FLORIDA

  • Florida Institute of Technology (FL)

Buildings are one of the largest energy consumers in the United States. K-12 schools are responsible for nearly 8% of energy consumption by commercial buildings which is equivalent to 1.44% …

Impacts of technology-guided occupant behavior on air-conditioning system control and building energy use

  • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Occupant behavior is an important factor affecting building energy consumption. Many studies have been conducted recently to model occupant behavior and analyze its impact on building energy use. However, to …

Understanding facility management decision making for energy efficiency efforts for buildings at a higher education institution

  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
  • Institut Teknologi Bandung (Jawa Barat)

Education buildings, as the third highest consumer of energy in the United States, provides significant opportunities to lower greenhouse gas emissions by increasing energy efficiency (EE). Higher education institutions (HEIs) …

Measuring Up: a Case For Redrawing the System Boundaries of Sustainability At the University of Kentucky

  • University of Kentucky (KY)

The primary goal of this paper is to examine the role that sustainability assessment and reporting plays in creating a sustainable campus for academic excellence. A prototype sustainability assessment and …

Evaluating the performance of a decentralized graywater treatment system in a living building at Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, USA

  • Hampshire College (MA)

Decentralized graywater treatment systems are growing in popularity as the threat of water scarcity rises and wastewater's potential as a resource is recognized. In 2016, Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, …

Sustainability Impacts of Installing Low-Flow Toilets in a University Residence Hall

  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

This study evaluates the sustainability impact of replacing inefficient toilets with low-flow units in a residence hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A graduate student initiated this project through the …

Estimation of energy efficiency for educational buildings in Hong Kong

  • City University of Hong Kong
  • Dalian University of Foreign Languages (Liaoning)

In this paper, we estimate the energy efficiency of educational buildings with the case study of buildings in City University of Hong Kong by constructing an energy demand stochastic frontier …

Benchmarking Energy Use at University of Almeria

  • Universidad de Almería (Almeria)
  • Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR) (la Rioja)

Several factors impact the energy use of university campus buildings. This study aims to benchmark the energy use in universities with Mediterranean climates. The University of Almeria campus was used …

Sustainable construction in Turkish higher education context

  • Middle East Technical University

As the construction industry is one of the dominant contributors to the world’s total CO2 emissions and it has huge negative impacts on the environment, sustainable construction has become a …

On-site Energy Manager Program

  • SUNY Jefferson Community College (NY)
  • New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) (NY)

In February of 2019 Jefferson Community College began a one-year commitment to provide a one-half time FTE On-site Energy Manager position in partnership with NYSERDA under project code OsEM17-C, (PON …

This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.

All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.

OP 3: Building Design & Construction

OP 4: Building Design & Construction

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

Buildings Partners

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