The Brody Learning Commons at Johns Hopkins University, which has been packed since its doors opened last August, has something big to celebrate this week: LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council. It’s the first new construction on the school’s Homewood campus to earn this distinction.

The Learning Commons’ sustainable strategies include:

Managing solar gain: Heat gain and loss from the glass curtain wall system was combated by high-performance glass, automated interior shades, and perimeter (hydronic) heating and cooling.
Energy efficiency: While the under-floor air distribution system ...[more]

Saint-Gobain’s expanded research development facility in Northborough, Massachusetts, has received LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council.  Sustainable project highlights include a heat recovery wheel and a pressurized raised-floor system that promotes equal distribution of tempered air in the building.

The facility, which is part of Saint-Gobain’s Massachusetts research campus, was completed in 2009. The project makes ample use of building products from Saint-Gobain and its CertainTeed and ADFORS subsidiaries, from glass and roofing to adhesives, wallboard, and insulation. A.J. Martini of Winchester, Massachusetts, was the project’s construction manager.

Shepley’s other recent ...[more]

The Lovett School’s Portman Middle School in Atlanta has received LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council in recognition of the school’s highly sustainable design and construction.

The project’s highly sustainable attributes include a green roof, which features an outdoor classroom and demonstration garden for water harvesting; a water collection and recycling program; the use of rapidly renewable materials; the recycling of construction waste; and a “Building Dashboard.” In addition to its LEED Gold certification, the project has earned an Energy Star rating from the US Environmental Protection Agency and ...[more]

The renovation of Gallatin Hall at Harvard Business School has received LEED-NC Gold certification from the US Green Building Council. It is the second residence hall and the fifth building at HBS to achieve LEED certification.

The renovation achieved a 98 percent recycling rate for construction waste management, diverting over 1,500 tons from entering landfills through salvage and recycling. As the project’s energy audit reveals, the renovation has reduced nearly 700 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to over 6 billion BTUs of energy or 1,000 barrels of oil. Low-flow plumbing fixtures will reduce domestic water use by nearly 30 percent compared to a standard building. Energy systems are tied ...[more]

The University of New Mexico’s Science and Math Learning Center in Albuquerque has received LEEDGold certification from the US Green Building Council.

The LEED® for Schools™ rating system under which it was certified addresses core learning areas and requires higher performance standards for air quality, acoustics, daylighting, and thermal comfort than other LEED programs. 

The project deploys a wide range of sustainable design strategies and techniques that focus on enhancing the learning environment and fulfills the University’s commitment to establishing a green footprint.

The Science and Math Learning ...[more]

GREENVILLE, SC – James Buchanan Duke Library at Furman University has been awarded LEED NC 2.0 Gold certification by the US Green Building Council for its 48,000 sf addition.

Located at the heart of the Furman Campus, the Duke Library serves as the University’s main library, housing a technology-rich learning environment and a collection of over 400,000 volumes. The addition of the Charlie Peace Wing, connected to the existing library by a light-filled atrium, includes a high-performance air and vapor barrier, lighting control systems, and low-VOC materials.

Shepley Bulfinch was the design architect in association with Neal Prince + Partners of Greenville.

Eckstein Hall, the new home to Marquette University’s Law School, has received LEED Silver certification from the US Green Building Council just months after the building’s completion.

Marquette and the project team were committed to constructing an energy-efficient building and receiving LEED certification.

“As we began the process of designing Eckstein Hall, our first priority was to build a facility that would enable us to provide an exceptional legal education,” said Joseph D. Kearney, dean of the Law School. “But as we began talking to alumni, students, and others, it ...[more]

DURHAM, NC – Duke Law School’s new Star Commons has been recognized for its highly sustainable design and operations, receiving LEED certification from the US Green Building Council. The light-filled Star Commons is highly energy-efficient, with vapor barriers for heat conservation and high-performance glazing. Great care was taken to recycle a high percentage of construction debris from the project, which also emphasized the use of materials low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The 4,000 s.f. Commons was part of a larger addition and renovation project for the law school, which included a renovation of ...[more]