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.

Featured Resources

933 resources

Energy Efficiency at Valencia College: A Case Study of Retrofits and Building Automation, Green Construction, and Behavioral Savings

  • Valencia College (FL)

Valencia College constructed 66 buildings between 1971 and 2012. Six buildings, 25% of total the college's 2.1 million square feet, were built to LEED Gold standards with energy ...


University of Iowa Information Technology Facility

  • University of Iowa (IA)

The University of Iowa (UI) Information Technology Facility is believed to be the first educational institution data center in the nation certified LEED Platinum, and is the first LEED Platinum ...

  • Posted July 27, 2012
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Center for Design Research

  • University of Kansas (KS)

The Center for Design Research, located on the site of the former historic Chamney Dairy Farm in Lawrence, Kansas, is a response to the emerging culture and support of sustainability ...

  • Posted July 27, 2012
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BHCC Health and Wellness Center

  • Bunker Hill Community College (MA)
  • DiNisco Design Partnership (MA)

The Health and Wellness Center at Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is a e 48,000 square-foot structure provides "smart classrooms," spacious offices, student study lounges, flexible state-of-the-art "sim" labs ...

  • Posted July 27, 2012
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Galileo's Pavilion

  • Johnson County Community College (KS)
  • University of Kansas (KS)

The goals of the Johnson County Community College Center for Sustainability, combined with the need for additional classrooms at the ever-expanding college, led to a unique opportunity to create inspired ...

  • Posted July 27, 2012
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Southwest Recreation Center Expansion - University of Florida

  • University of Florida (FL)

Southwest Recreation Center was expanded 2009-2010 and continues to be the most popular active recreation facility on the University of Florida campus. This facility is a modern laboratory for highly ...

  • Posted July 27, 2012
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Sustainability and Integrated Campus Planning at UCLA

  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)

Planning at UCLA systematically uses the LEED rating system to advance campus sustainability goals and to challenge project design teams to achieve significant efficiencies on campus. The comprehensive nature of ...

  • Posted July 27, 2012
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Diana Chapman Walsh Alumnae Hall

  • Wellesley College (MA)
  • Ann Beha Architects (MA)

Alumnae Hall has had little or no upgrades to HVAC systems and interior finishes since it was built in 1932. This project included a complete gut renovation of all building ...

  • Posted July 25, 2012
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Payne Family Native American Center

  • University of Montana (MT)

The Payne Family Native American Center, the first of its kind in the nation, is an excellent example of sustainability in practice. This symbolically rich building provides a place for ...

  • Posted July 24, 2012
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Apogee Stadium

  • University of North Texas (TX)
  • HKS Architects (TX)

Completed in fall 2011, the 30,000-seat Apogee Stadium is the first LEED Platinum collegiate football stadium in the world. The stadium features luxury suites, an amenity-filled club level, a ...

  • Posted July 24, 2012
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Linde + Robinson Laboratory for Global Environmental Science

  • California Institute of Technology (CA)
  • Architectural Resources Group (CA)

This groundbreaking project rehabilitated a 1932 astrophysics laboratory at Caltech into a cutting-edge center for research and instruction in global environmental science. The $35 million rehabilitation preserved the significant architectural ...

  • Posted July 24, 2012
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Sabine Hall Science Building

  • Perkins+Will (NY)
  • Dallas College (TX)

Richland College, one of seven colleges of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), is dedicated to its mission of "teaching, learning and community building." Sabine Hall Science Building, its ...

  • Posted July 24, 2012
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Water Conservation Strategies in LEED Residence Halls

  • Emory University (GA)
  • Ayers Saint Gross (MD)

Emory University's water conservation goals are extensive and not only include reduced potable water use in our buildings but also across campus, effecting uses such as irrigation and physical ...

  • Posted July 24, 2012
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Education Building

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

This project renovated nearly 71,000 GSF of the existing Education Building including a 37,000 GSF replacement and a four story addition. This project also included the reconstruction of ...

  • Posted July 24, 2012
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Alfred State's Net-Zero Energy Demonstration Home

  • Alfred State College (NY)

Students in a variety of construction-related programs at Alfred State constructed a net-zero energy demonstration home as part of their coursework. The 2200 square foot home, which is located on ...


Skidmore College's Innovative District Geothermal System

  • Skidmore College (NY)

Skidmore College has utilized geothermal heating and cooling, a renewable energy, for several years now, beginning with the installations in our Northwoods Village residential apartments, then the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall ...


Unity House

  • Unity Environmental University (ME)
  • Thornton Tomasetti (ME)
  • Bensonwood Homes (NH)

Completed in 2008, the 1,937-square-foot, LEED Platinum Unity House is the on-campus home of Unity College's President. Unity House was designed and built with education in mind. It ...


Pratt Institute - Myrtle Hall

  • Pratt Institute (NY)

Pratt Institute partnered to obtain a vacant lot at the northern boundary of our campus in Brooklyn , that had been a Kentucky Fried Chicken. The lot is part of the ...

  • Posted June 30, 2011
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Groundmaking: Class of 2010 Green Roof at Rensselaer

  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY)

In the spring of 2011, after almost 16 months of planning, members from the entire Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute community joined hands in planting 18,000 small plants on a 6 ...

  • Posted June 25, 2011
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Getting to Net- Zero Energy: Lessons Learned from a Living Building Challenge

  • Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
  • Hellmuth + Bicknese Architects (MO)

In 2008, Washington University in St. Louis committed to the construction of a new building at its environmental field station, Tyson Research Center. This project, the Living Learning Center (LLC ...

  • Posted June 24, 2011
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Student Services Building

  • The University of Texas at Dallas (TX)
  • Perkins+Will (NY)

The new LEED Platinum certified Student Services Building (SSB) serves as a "one-stop-shop" destination for all student service activities offering 14 departments under one roof. The building design improves the ...

  • Posted June 24, 2011
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EcoDorm

  • Warren Wilson College (NC)

EcoDorm is a living laboratory of sustainability. It was designed by a committee of students, staff, and faculty- with guidance from an outside architect- who researched and evaluated environmental, social ...

  • Posted June 24, 2011
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The Bagley Classroom: Supporting environmental and outdoor learning at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

  • University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN)
  • Salmela Architect (MN)

The Bagley Classroom supports learning in a 55-acre natural preserve within the University of Minnesota Duluth campus. The Bagley Nature Area has taught and inspired students about the natural environment ...

  • Posted June 23, 2011
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Applied Research and Development Building

  • Northern Arizona University (AZ)

Northern Arizona University's Applied Research and Development building is a LEED Platinum building that is home to a wide range of research organizations and stakeholders both from NAU and ...

  • Posted June 23, 2011
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1702 - green dorm project

  • Pratt Institute (NY)

The Living Lab 1702 project began in Spring 2009 as an interdisciplinary studio course focused on sustainability. The goal: to challenge the students understanding of green design in order to ...

  • Posted June 21, 2011
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Berndt Hall Reconstruction for Biology

  • Fort Lewis College (CO)

Berndt Hall Reconstruction for Biology removed the middle of an existing 1-story section of the Berndt Hall building and replaced it with a basement, main level, and second floor with ...

  • Posted June 15, 2011
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Development of a Budget Neutral Comprehensive Green and Deferred Maintenance Program at the University of Central Missouri

  • University of Central Missouri (MO)
  • Trane (TX)

In 2007, Dr. Betty Roberts, VP for Administration and Finance, began seeking opportunities to save money on rising energy bills while addressing much-needed building and infrastructure improvements. After extensive research ...


Achieving GHG Reductions of 30% or More Through Facilities Asset Management At the Harvard School of Public Health

  • Harvard University (MA)

Harvard School of Public Health (HPSH) has an innovative approach to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and sustainability based on integrated facilities asset management. This program enables HSPH to holistically manage ...


Safely Achievable Reductions in Exhaust Fan Energy for Laboratory Buildings at UC Irvine

  • University of California, Irvine (CA)

Generally accepted engineering practices use 3500 fpm flow rates for laboratory exhaust stack design. Due to the variable nature of exhaust flow from laboratories, and the need for constant air ...


Building a Green Data Center at Syracuse University

  • Syracuse University (NY)

Syracuse University, in partnership with IBM and New York State, built a Green Data Center (GDC) last year which is designed to use about 50 percent less energy than a ...

  • Posted June 30, 2010
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Planet Blue: Saving Energy, Saving Money and Saving the Planet at the University of Michigan

  • University of Michigan (MI)

The Planet Blue program was developed as part of the University of Michigan's 6-point Environmental and Energy Initiative to help reduce energy consumption on the Ann Arbor campus in ...

  • Posted June 28, 2010
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Installing Occupancy Sensors at Missouri State University Residence Life and Services

  • Missouri State University (MO)

Residence Life and Services at Missouri State University received a grant from City Utilities of Springfield, MO to install occupancy sensors on all lights in community and public restrooms, common ...

  • Posted June 17, 2010
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Holiday Energy Turn Down

  • Emory University (GA)

During the 2009-2010 Winter Holiday break Emory University conducted a campaign to reduce energy consumption by turning down the HVAC for a total of six days in 15 buildings. These ...

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