Buildings
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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Stanford raises environmental standard for Middle Plaza project following concerns
- Stanford University (CA)
Following concerns raised by a local nonprofit, Stanford agreed to raise environmental standards for its Middle Plaza Project in Menlo Park. The new 8.4-acre mixed-use project will include 215 rental …
- Posted Oct. 11, 2017
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Cornell University Ithaca Campus: Energy Direct Billing
- Cornell University (NY)
A new Energy Direct Billing budget model went into effect at Cornell University in 2014, making each college/unit on campus responsible for its own utility bill. This model provides a …
- Posted Oct. 10, 2017
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Loyola's Lake Shore Campus Chapel on the shores of Lake Michigan
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
Loyola's Lake Shore Campus Chapel on the shores of Lake Michigan.
- Posted Oct. 9, 2017
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Loyola's Lake Shore Campus on the shores of Lake Michigan
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
LEED Silver Klarchek Information Commons. Loyola's Lake Shore Campus on the shores of Lake Michigan.
- Posted Oct. 9, 2017
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Energy Master Plan - St. John's University, New York
- St. John's University, New York (NY)
St. John's University is preparing to commit to deeper carbon emissions reductions. As a participant in the New York City Carbon Challenge since 2007, SJU will achieve its commitment to …
- Posted June 22, 2017
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Spatial mapping of occupant satisfaction and indoor environment quality in a LEED platinum campus building
This paper reports a post-occupancy evaluation study of a LEED Platinum building on a university campus. A multiple-tool POE approach with GIS-based spatial mapping method was used to analyze and …
- Posted June 20, 2017
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Occupant satisfaction in LEED-certified higher education buildings
The purpose of this paper is to quantify occupant satisfaction levels within Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified higher education buildings and determine the extent to which this certification …
- Posted June 20, 2017
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Greening University Campus Buildings to Reduce Consumption and Emission while Fostering Hands-on Inquiry-based Education
This paper describes a method of greening university campus buildings that normally contribute to a large amount of energy and water consumption, air pollution, and resource depletions. The University of …
- Posted June 19, 2017
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Urban Design for Sustainability Syllabus
- Lesley University (MA)
What would a truly sustainable society look like? We will address that question, starting with a look at the rise and decline of societies and how the ideas of sustainability …
- Posted June 9, 2017
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A persuasive feedback support system for energy conservation and carbon emission reduction in campus residential buildings
There is a need for energy conservation mechanisms, especially in university campuses, as students do not have any direct feedback on their energy consumptions, which leads to excess usages. There …
- Posted June 7, 2017
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Kauai Community College Tiny House Hydro Electric Micro Grid Project
- University of Hawaii Kauai Community College (HI)
During the Summer of 2016 a free Tiny House building course was offered free to the community of Kauai. The course ran for five days and focused on building the …
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Case Studies
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Building as a Living Laboratory: The Integrated Technology Center
- Western Technical College (WI)
When you enter an academic building on a college campus, you expect that learning takes place there. Desks and labs, offices and hallways, students and faculty—all are standard. But what …
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Case Studies
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Novel Solution to University's Pool and Shower Heating
- University of South Florida (Tampa) (FL)
The plan is to install a localized, state of the art heating system for Campus Recreation’s pool and shower systems. The project would involve disconnecting the central boiler heating system …
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Case Studies
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Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions at the University of Calgary
- University of Calgary (AB)
At University of Calgary, our buildings are very large contributors to our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With the goal of being a leading Canadian post-secondary institution in the area of …
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Case Studies
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Using classroom schedule data to reduce energy consumption
- Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)
Most Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems (HVAC) are designed to provide a ventilation based on the assumption that the rooms are fully occupied, when real occupancy is most often …
- Posted May 22, 2017
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Stanford University's R&DE Creatively Responds to the California Drought
- Stanford University (CA)
Sustainability is a core value to Stanford University's Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE). R&DE is responsible for about 1/3 of Stanford's campus, housing over 13,000 residents and serving over 18,000 …
- Posted May 19, 2017
- Case Studies
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Portland State University - All Gender Restroom Policy
- Portland State University (OR)
In late 2015 Portland State University (PSU) administration officially adopted an all gender restroom policy (also sometimes referred to as gender-neutral, unisex, or universal) for the PSU campus. The all …
- Posted May 19, 2017
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KMRB Energy Reduction Project
- University of Rochester (NY)
The University of Rochester’s Medical Center operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week in a 5.4 million square foot complex. Facilities Operations is responsible for providing conditioned air for …
- Posted May 18, 2017
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NC State University Achieves 95 Percent Diversion With Building Deconstruction
- North Carolina State University (NC)
Harrelson Hall, the first round classroom building constructed on a university campus, was deconstructed in 2016 and NC State University exceeded its waste diversion goal, diverting 95 percent of non-hazardous …
- Posted May 18, 2017
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Sustainability@BU / It's what you do.
- Boston University (MA)
The video from Boston University highlights the impact that each student at BU has on the environment. This includes individual footprints on things like carbon, water, waste, and electricity. After …
- Posted May 15, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Comparison of Occupant Behavior in a Traditional, Green Featured, and LEED Certified Building Case
- Virginia Tech (VA)
In developed nations, 20-40% of greenhouse gas emissions and more than one-third of energy consumption are attributable to buildings. Among various available strategies, the building sector has the greatest potential …
- Posted May 11, 2017
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PowerZee – Sustainable Change through User Engagement
- Nanyang Technological University
- ENGIE (TX)
PowerZee (formerly PowerZ) is a smartphone application (‘app’) developed by NTU, along with industry partner ENGIE, for energy conservation and sustainability through user engagement. The application fosters knowledge and nudges …
- Posted May 11, 2017
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Temple Tiny House
- Temple University (PA)
The Temple University Tiny House project is a student designed and student constructed sustainable building located at Temple Community Garden on main campus. Completed in spring 2017, the 175 square …
- Posted May 11, 2017
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LEED® Platinum - University of Miami Frost School of Music Studios
- University of Miami (FL)
The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music is one of the largest and best music schools located in a private university in the U.S., and one of the most …
- Posted May 11, 2017
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San Jose State University Chiller Plant Improvements
- San Jose State University (CA)
The Chilled Water Plant underwent a major retrofit which was completed in 2012, which included the replacement of two electric chillers and the re-piping of the plant to allow the …
- Posted May 3, 2017
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State University of New York at Cortland Habitat for Humanity Sustainable Living Workshop
- State University of New York at Cortland (NY)
The SUNY Cortland Habitat for Humanity Club hosted a sustainable living workshop where participants learned about and made items they can use in the own homes to promote a more …
- Posted May 1, 2017
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Sustainable Un-building
- DePauw University (IN)
Students, faculty, staff, and Greencastle community members were invited to participate in the event “Unbuilding: Sustainable Deconstruction and ‘Give-Away’ at DePauw’s Campus Farm House.” During Winter Term, students began the …
- Posted April 28, 2017
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Green Roof Dedication
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
Penn State President Eric Barron spoke at the dedication of the HUB Green Roof, 2014 class gift, on April 21.
- Posted April 27, 2017
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SJSU Student Health and Wellness Center
- San Jose State University (CA)
The Student Health and Counseling facility was constructed to enhance access for students living on campus while balancing convenient care for the growing residential population through both location and features …
- Posted April 26, 2017
- Case Studies
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Energy Efficiency Assessment at Texas State University
- Texas State University, San Marcos (TX)
- How to calculate CO2 emissions from purchased electricity?
- What are the most important financial factors in energy efficiency assessment?
- How different energy efficiency plans can affect financial outcomes in a …
- Posted April 25, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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The Deceptive Metric
- Kirksey Architecture (TX)
- This presentation will outline limitations that abound metrics like Energy Use Intensity and Noise Levels.
- Audience will understand how building codes can be leveraged to inform Sustainability Master Plans.
- This …
- Posted April 25, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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The Green Labs Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
Best practices for implementing a Green Labs program into a university.
- Posted April 25, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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RMIT University Climate Risk Assessment
- RMIT University
This report details the process and findings from the first climate risk assessment carried out for RMIT University, with a primary focus on the Melbourne City campus. The analysis considered …
- Posted April 24, 2017
- Publications
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INhouse : a design|build project focused on collaboration, student engagement, and situational design
- California Polytechnic State University (CA)
INhouse was a net-zero residence designed by a collaborative Cal Poly San Luis Obispo team in response to the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015.
The Solar Decathlon is …
- Posted April 24, 2017
- Case Studies
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Leveraging Sub-Meter Data as Feedback to Engage Community Members and Save Energy on Shoestring Staffing and Funding
- Macalester College (MN)
- AASHE (MA)
Macalester College has leveraged no-cost and open-source solutions to provide feedback to community members while, simultaneously, informing facilities about energy-saving opportunities to further advance its sub-metering initiatives. Whether you find …
- Posted April 20, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Restroom Water Reduction Potential at an Urban University
- University of Illinois Chicago (IL)
A water audit was conducted at a variety of University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus buildings to help evaluate the potential to conserve water and save the university money. …
- Posted April 20, 2017
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From Reactive to Proactive: Findings From Analyzing 400 School Buildings
- AASHE (MA)
- CopperTree Analytics (WA)
Facility teams are extremely busy, and have a growing workload that is tackled with resources that are spread increasingly thin. Automating even a small portion of their jobs can free …
- Posted March 21, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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LEED Certification of Campus Buildings: A Cost-Benefit Approach
- Seton Hall University (NJ)
No comprehensive study has been done within the higher education sector to see if Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification makes sense economically. This study helps fill the …
- Posted March 20, 2017
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The business case for high performance green buildings: Sustainability and its financial impact
- Johnson Controls, Inc (WI)
This paper endeavours to present building owners, managers, architects and design/builders with a compelling business case for considering a green building for their new construction projects. A green building, for …
- Posted March 20, 2017
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Green Building Performance: A Post Occupancy Evaluation of 22 GSA Buildings
- U.S. General Services Administration
Do “green” buildings deliver the performance they promise? To answer this question, the General Services Administration (GSA) selected 22 representative green buildings from its national portfolio, including 12 buildings whose …
- Posted March 20, 2017
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The Business Case for Green Building: A Review of the Costs and Benefits for Developers, Investors and Occupants
This report examines whether or not it is possible to attach a financial value to the cost and benefits of green buildings. Today, green buildings can be delivered at a …
- Posted March 20, 2017
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Environmental perceptions and health before and after relocation to a green building
- Harvard University (MA)
- State University of New York Upstate Medical University (NY)
- Syracuse University (NY)
Green buildings are designed to have low environmental impacts and improved occupant health and well-being. Improvements to the built environment including ventilation, lighting, and materials have resulted in improved indoor …
- Posted March 20, 2017
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Do Green Buildings Outperform Conventional Buildings? Indoor Environment and Energy Performance in North American Offices
A comprehensive post-occupancy investigation of the performance of ìgreenî and ìconventionalî office buildings has been completed. The study included occupant surveys and physical building and energy use data collected from …
- Posted March 20, 2017
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The impact of working in a green certified building on cognitive function and health
- Harvard University (MA)
- State University of New York Upstate Medical University (NY)
Thirty years of public health research have demonstrated that improved indoor environmental quality is associated with better health outcomes. Recent research has demonstrated an impact of the indoor environment on …
- Posted March 20, 2017
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Green Buildings and Health
- Harvard University (MA)
Green building design is becoming broadly adopted, with one green building standard reporting over 3.5 billion square feet certified to date. By definition, green buildings focus on minimizing impacts to …
- Posted March 20, 2017
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Effects of Green Buildings on Employee Health and Productivity
- Michigan State University (MI)
We investigated the effects of improved indoor environmental quality (IEQ) on perceived health and productivity in occupants who moved from conventional to green (according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental …
- Posted March 20, 2017
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Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments
- Harvard University (MA)
- State University of New York Upstate Medical University (NY)
- Syracuse University (NY)
Background: The indoor built environment plays a critical role in our overall well-being because of both the amount of time we spend indoors (~90%) and the ability of buildings …
- Posted March 20, 2017
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Renewable Energy 100: The Course to a Carbon-Free Campus
- Allegheny College (PA)
- University at Albany (NY)
- Georgetown University (DC)
- Butte College (CA)
- Ball State University (IN)
- University of Louisville (KY)
- University of Delaware (DE)
America’s institutions of higher education can play a crucial role in the fight to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. Colleges and universities across the country should aggressively deploy …
- Posted March 14, 2017
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University of Chicago New Construction Procurement Case Study: Securing Your Investment in Sustainability
- University of Chicago (IL)
- Second Nature (MA)
- AASHE (MA)
- Seventhwave (WI)
Join AASHE and Second Nature for an in-depth look under the hood of the University of Chicago’s innovative procurement approach to establish a measurable energy performance requirement in their new …
- Posted March 7, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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The State of Sustainability in Higher Education 2016: The Life Cycle of Higher Education Facilities
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- Gordian (SC)
Over the past two decades, colleges and universities have embraced numerous programs to minimize their environmental impact.
What were the “wins” for sustainability in higher education in 2016?
The annual …
- Posted Feb. 13, 2017
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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
- Percent of building space certified for green building construction and renovation
- A list of green building new construction and major renovation projects
- An inventory of green building new construction and major renovation projects
- Website URL - Green building design and construction program
OP 4: Building Design & Construction
- Percent of building space certified for operations and maintenance
- Description of sustainable operations and maintenance policies and/or programs
- Website URL - Existing building operations and maintenance
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.