There’s been a lot of discussion lately about changes to LEED. Are new credentialing requirements too complicated and cumbersome? Are the efforts of the USGBC to focus on energy efficiency in the new version of LEED enough to ensure green buildings are truly green? Everyone seems to be waiting to see what changes recently introduced by the USGBC mean for the future of LEED. Let’s step aside from all of that for a moment and look an outside influence that may be more important.

A draft of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) ...[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]

CONCORD, NH – Concord Hospital has been awarded LEED certification for its East & North Wing addition and renovation, the first hospital in northern New England to do so.

The project’s design maximizes daylight and views with green roofs and courtyard gardens while skylights bring light deep into treatment spaces. The canopied entrance includes a waiting area that overlooks a garden and the drop-off area and a roof garden that is accessible from the ICU. On patient floors almost all spaces have access to natural light and views, while garden courtyards create a buffer from the road. Native plantings and permeable surfaces minimize heat islands and reduce the impact on ...[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]

ATLANTA, GA – Emory University’s new building for the Candler School of Theology and the Center for Ethics was dedicated today in a ceremony led by Ben Johnson, Chair of Emory’s Board of Trustees.

The new building establishes a cohesive architectural presence that respects the individual identities of the School of Theology and Center for Ethics. The School, with its pitched clay tile roofs, stucco facades, and marble trim helps to frame a gateway to Emory’s historic campus that echoes the University’s Tuscan vocabulary.

The first phase of a two-phase project, the building provides Candler with a 175-seat tiered lecture hall, a classroom designed to support distance learning, seminar-style classrooms, and a ...[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.

ATLANTA, GA – The Lovett School’s new technology-rich Middle School will embody the School’s commitment to sustainability, as detailed in an article just published in Lovett Magazine (below).

The School is designed so that its sustainable features, which include a green roof watered by harvested rainwater, can serve as outdoor classrooms and laboratories for students. Shepley Bulfinch and the Lovett School are pursuing LEED certification for the project.

Construction on this 75,000 sf School is scheduled to begin in June 2008, with plans for completion by the start of the 2009-2010 academic year.

In a ceremony yesterday, Shepley Bulfinch was presented with a LEED-CI Silver certification plaque for its corporate interior by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Barbra Batshalom LEED AP, executive director of the Green Roundtable, a USGBC affiliate, made the presentation to Principal Thomas D. Kearns AIA LEED AP, chairman of Shepley Bulfinch’s board of directors.

Among those acknowledged at the ceremony were project team and building committee members and our consultants including Turner Construction, R.G. Vanderweil, Robert Luchetti Associates, Lam Partners, Creative Office Pavilion, and Roll-Barresi.

LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design) is the USGBC system for designing and constructing energy-efficient, high performing buildings. Our corporate office was designed to ...[more]