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

932 resources

Concentration & Certificate in Sustainable Design

  • University of Florida (FL)

G|SoA is one of the first accredited architecture programs in the US to formalize this initiative in the form a Concentration and Certificate in Sustainable Architecture. This program runs ...

  • Posted April 12, 2018
  • Academic Programs
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Architectural Conservation & Sustainability Engineering (BEng)

  • Carleton University (ON)

Carleton’s program in Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering teaches students to approach the design and retrofit of new and existing buildings with sustainability as the primary objective, which includes ...

  • Posted April 12, 2018
  • Academic Programs
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Sustainable Construction Minor

  • State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)

The objective of the minor is to provide a fundamental understanding of the concepts and methods used to take a design into the field and build a quality sustainable structure ...

  • Posted April 12, 2018
  • Academic Programs
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Building Science & Energy Management (AS)

  • Western Technical College (WI)

This program facilitates students to make decisions incorporating the importance of sustainability in an area representing one of our country’s biggest energy consumers. Students examine the built environment and ...

  • Posted April 12, 2018
  • Academic Programs
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Daylighting and Occupant Density: an indoor environmental quality analysis of Appalachian State University classrooms

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

This study examined a variety of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) attributes in classrooms across the Appalachian State University campus. The study focused on daylighting (the ability for natural light to ...

  • Posted April 11, 2018
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Innovative Solutions for Reducing Waste at Skidmore College: Analyzing the Carbon Footprint & Economics of Paper Towels vs. Electric Hand Dryers

  • Skidmore College (NY)

The purpose of this capstone project is to create the most culminating analysis of all of the available hand drying methodologies, and utilize this research in order to integrate the ...

  • Posted April 6, 2018
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The Importance of Incentives and Grants for Green Buildings

  • Virginia Tech (VA)

The aim of this manuscript is to reconsider the building lifecycle cost of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings certified within the higher education sector. It adds to ...

  • Posted March 29, 2018
  • Publications
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Green Gigawatt Partnership: Ramping Up Renewables in Higher Education

  • Cornell University (NY)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • AASHE (PA)
  • Edison Energy (CA)

The Green Gigawatt Partnership seeks to catalyze one gigawatt of green power development by 2020 by recognizing colleges and universities who have signed long term contracts to purchase green power ...

  • Posted March 27, 2018
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1.7 kW Powerhouse Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

  • Colorado State University (CO)

The Colorado State University Powerhouse Energy Campus is located near the heart of downtown Fort Collins. The 100,000 square-foot Powerhouse Energy Campus consists of two parts; the CSU Engines ...

  • Posted March 20, 2018
  • Green Power Projects
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Lab Building Benchmarking - Boston and Beyond

  • Harvard University (MA)
  • AASHE (PA)
  • Boston Green Ribbon Commission (MA)

This webinar will present an important new benchmarking study of academic laboratory buildings from the Boston area, conducted by the Boston Green Ribbon Commission’s Higher Education Working Group. Lab ...

  • Posted March 15, 2018
  • Videos & Webinars
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Boston Area Lab Energy Benchmarking Study: Year 1 & Year 2

  • Boston Green Ribbon Commission (MA)

Year 1 Report: Lab facilities are often the source of the greatest energy use at large research institutions, disproportionate to the square footage they occupy, so they are a key ...

  • Posted March 15, 2018
  • Publications
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How do Green Buildings Communicate Green Design to Building Users? A Survey Study of a LEED-Certified Building

  • Michigan State University (MI)

Studies investigating the benefits of green buildings can be approached by the affordance theory—the perceived properties of a thing that determine how it could possibly be used. This study ...

  • Posted March 12, 2018
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How old is our Campus? – measure the environmental benefit of adaptive reuse of existing building

  • University of Maryland, College Park (MD)

This project will generate three renovation and adaptive-reuse strategies for one worst performed building, environmental impact reduction benefit of adaptive reuse will be quantified and the used as a benchmark ...

  • Posted March 5, 2018
  • Publications
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Energy Engineering for Non-Engineers: Sweetened and Condensed

  • AASHE (PA)
  • GreenerU (MA)
  • Babson College (MA)

As a sustainability change agent, you may not have a background in engineering, but developing a basic fluency in energy engineering terms and concepts can empower you to participate in ...

  • Posted March 1, 2018
  • Videos & Webinars
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Flame Retardant Chemicals in College Dormitories: Flammability Standards Influence Dust Concentrations

  • Harvard University (MA)
  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • Silent Spring Institute (MA)
  • University of Antwerp

Furniture flammability standards are typically met with chemical flame retardants (FRs). FRs can migrate out of products into dust and are linked to cancer, neurological impairment, and endocrine disruption. We ...

  • Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Energy use characteristics and benchmarking for higher education buildings

  • Griffith University (Queensland)

Higher education buildings serve complex functions by providing spaces for various activities and disciplines. This study aims to understand energy use characteristics of different types of buildings in higher education ...

  • Posted Feb. 20, 2018
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The Biochemistry Cell Culture Facility at CU Boulder: Avoided costs and other benefits resulting from shared equipment in collaborative research space

  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)

With scientists experiencing intense competition for federal biomedical research funding, efficiency and cost-saving measures are powerful tools to maximize the impact of those research dollars. The large environmental footprint of ...

  • Posted Feb. 15, 2018
  • Publications
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Methodology of energy efficient building refurbishment: Application on two university campus-building case studies in Italy with engineering students

  • Polytechnic University of Milan

Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) has launched since 2011 the project “Città Studi Sustainable Campus” to improve the university’s sustainability performances within three main principles: building refurbishment, sustainable campus development ...

  • Posted Dec. 22, 2017
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Energy planning of university campus building complex: Energy usage and coincidental analysis of individual buildings with a case study

  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology
  • Zhejiang University
  • Nanjing University of Science & Technology

As the demonstration of eco-communities, energy planning becomes more and more important for university campus. However, insufficient energy use data accumulation has been a significant barrier against fully understanding of ...

  • Posted Dec. 22, 2017
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Visualization of energy and water consumption and GHG emissions: A case study of a Canadian University Campus

  • Carleton University (ON)

Campuses, communities, and other building clusters are major users of energy and water and thus can have a significant environmental impact. Frequently, their buildings’ resource consumption is metered to various ...

  • Posted Dec. 22, 2017
  • Publications
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Understanding the energy consumption and occupancy of a multi-purpose academic building

  • Heriot-Watt University

Building energy use associated with non-domestic buildings accounts for approximately 19% of the total UK CO2 emissions. Energy consumption in a non-domestic building is a complex issue due to a ...

  • Posted Dec. 13, 2017
  • Publications
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Research on the suitability improvement of the standard of green campus in China based on STARS

  • Zhejiang University

Under the tide of green building, many countries introduce actively evaluation standards of green campus and develop the construction of green campus. China introduced the Green Campus Evaluation Standards (CSUS ...

  • Posted Dec. 13, 2017
  • Publications
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Energy use assessment of educational buildings: Toward a campus-wide sustainable energy policy

  • Texas A&M University (TX)
  • University of Florida (FL)
  • Queensland University of Technology

The purpose of this article is to assess the viability of blanket sustainability policies, such as Building Rating Systems in achieving energy efficiency in university campus buildings. We analyzed the ...

  • Posted Dec. 12, 2017
  • Publications
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A post-occupancy evaluation of a green rated and conventional on-campus residence hall

  • University of Arizona (AZ)
  • KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Green buildings increasingly attract attention in the real estate sector, and the United States is no exception. Studies indicate that green rated buildings may bring higher rents and sales prices ...

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
  • Publications
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On-Site Energy Management by Integrating Campus Buildings and Optimizing Local Energy Systems, Case Study of the Campus in Finland

  • Aalto University

This research describes the potential study on the impact of energy improvements of existing campus buildings by on-site energy management and operational strategies. The focus buildings in the campus were ...

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
  • Publications
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Building Energy Performance in LEED 2009 vs. LEED v4

  • System WorCx (NC)

As of November 2016, newly registered LEED projects must use LEED v4. One of the key changes between LEED v4 and LEED 2009 is that option 1 under the Optimize ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Evalutation of TETFUND contributions for the management of universities for sustainable development in southeast Nigeria

  • Imo State University

Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) was established as an Intervention Agency under the Education Tax Act No. 7 in 1993 as Education Trust Fund. As an aspect of community participation ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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The Internet of Things (IoT) and the Student Experience: Sustainability by Design

  • The Sextant Group (PA)

Every day we hear of a new technology that is Internet-connected, enabled, enhanced! If they can afford it, college students are eager first adopters of these gadgets and their applications ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Literally Breaking Down Walls (Roofs and Floors too). Owner and Consultant Insight to Obtaining Sustainable Building Enclosures.

  • dbHMS (IL)

Sustainable buildings require complex analysis from various participants in a project team, which is especially true for developments in the MUSH market (Municipal, University, Schools K-12, and Hospitals). In a ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Smart Buildings - Integrating PoE with the IoT

  • Cree (NC)

The purpose of this presentation is to provide a better understanding of how the Internet of Things (IoT) and Power over Ethernet (PoE) have and will continue to change our ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Materials Health and Transparency: The Social, Physical, and Environmental Impacts

  • Bruner/Cott Architects (MA)

Material health and transparency are not only issues of sustainable building, but also social justice and public health. Building construction has both upstream and downstream consequences to people and communities ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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By Impacting Hearts and Minds, Emergent Leadership Transforms Brick and Mortar Projects Into Much More

  • The EMERGE Leadership Project (WA)

If conventional leadership was all that was needed to create a truly sustainable built environment - one that generates choices equitably -- we would be there already. This presentation offers the opportunity ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Creating a culture of operational visibility: the data-driven future of campus operations

  • Atrius (CA)

Vladi will explain how, by implementing cost-effective energy-efficiency measures, many colleges and universities have the potential to cut their energy bills by 30 percent or more. Yet campus sustainability practitioners ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Sub-Metering and Energy Dashboard Networking

  • Macalester College (MN)

This networking session will allow individuals already engaged in a collaborative discussion about dashboards and energy metering to touch base. Any individuals wishing to learn more and become involved or ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Using Internet of Things to Track and Curb Energy Use in Dorms at Harvard University

  • Harvard University (MA)

How can we use data to inform and accelerate energy savings in undergraduate dorms? A Harvard student-led project called Networked Energy-saving Temperature Sensors (NETS) sought to answer this question by ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Readdressing Environmental Thinking in Residence Hall Design

  • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (WI)

This presentation will examine the role of architectural design in promoting an ecological citizenship. By comparing traditional residence hall designs with contemporary residence halls as well as a LEED certified ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Green Lab and Green Office Programs at the University of Washington

  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)

The Green Office and Green Lab programs at the University of Washington are an integral part of reaching our campus sustainability goals. These posters showcase offices and labs environmental impact ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Review of Sustainability Strategies of U.S. Universities and Federal Buildings

  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)

Universities around the world share a common goal of making their campuses more sustainable and energy efficient. Significant investment has been made in the greening campus effort, yet the challenge ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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An Unlikely Match: Confined Budgets, Sustainable Campuses, Facade Innovation

  • BNIM Architects (MO)

High performance design strategies are realized by a collaborative, interdisciplinary team working towards a shared vision. The design of the maintenance and operations building provides a diverse user group an ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Community Engagement and Sustainable Buildings: A New Course from Pima Community College, Tucson 2030 District, and ENERGY STAR

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)

This session will explore a recent successful collaboration between three entities to create a new community-focused sustainability course in Tucson, AZ: 'Sustainability and Building Performance - Foundations, Best Practices, and Implementation ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Key Facilities Metrics survey and Communicating Complex Issues Graphically

  • National Association of College & University Business Officers (NACUBO) (DC)

Joint APPA/NACUBO Key Facilities Metrics survey is in its 4th year and has grown 49% in participation and campus use. Examine how complex consumption metrics of energy (BTU), electrical ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Deep Energy Retrofits: Warren Hall at Cornell University

  • FXCollaborative (NY)

Learn how a pre-war, 130,000-square-foot classroom building at Cornell University was retrofitted to achieve LEED Platinum performance. The historic masonry building was fully renovated into a new, modern home ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Promoting Sustainability Teaching and Research at the Augustana Miquelon Lake Research Station, Canada

  • University of Alberta (AB)

Built in 2015, the Augustana Miquelon Lake Research Station's (AMLRS) mission is to promote research, enhance teaching, and develop partnerships for sustainability. Located in central Alberta's Prairie-Boreal ecotone ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Growing Fresh Air to Sustainably Support the Indoor Campus Environment

  • New York University (NY)

Introducing plants into work and study spaces on campus can have numerous benefits for the wellness of those who occupy these places. Bringing people closer to plants can also reinforce ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Motivating Students to Achieve 20% Electricity and Hot Water Savings in Campus Apartments

  • Clarkson University (NY)

Through Clarkson University's Smart Housing Project, we've shown 20% savings in daily electricity and hot water use for students receiving utility use interventions compared to students not receiving ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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What Sets Environmental Leadership? Depends on Your Approach: a case study of spray polyurethane foam insulation

  • Green Seal (DC)

Explore how 2 highly respected sustainability leaders, the Healthy Building Network and Green Seal, could disagree so dramatically about the inclusion of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) in an environmental leadership ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Raising Energy Efficiency on an Urban Campus

  • Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) (IN)

As an Energy Engineering student at IUPUI, I have always idealized these initiatives to make our campus more energy-efficient. I have made a plan on how to change infrastructure and ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Wake Up & Dream: An Ecovillage Planning Experience on Campus

  • Oklahoma State University (OK)

Wake Up & Dream was a 12-month planning process that explored the idea of building an ecovillage as an alternative to convention campus housing. Nine speakers were brought to campus ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Net Zero 24/7: How Colorado College's 94k Square Foot Library Became a Carbon Reduction Strategy

  • Colorado College (CO)

Colorado College's 94,000 square-foot library is the first to be built for the college's unique block plan. It's also the first known library of it's ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Searching for the Higher Ed Context in the Analysis of Green Building Costs and Benefits

  • Virginia Tech (VA)

Green building certification on campuses is relatively new. When determining the financial feasibility of a certified green building at an Institution of Higher Education (IHE), the full building lifecycle perspective ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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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

OP 4: Building Design & Construction

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

Buildings Partners