The list of Green Building Leaders is comprised of 51 schools that earned “A” grades in this category. Below is a sample of 9 very different institutions that all received high marks. These summaries are based on data from each school’s profile page.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) has numerous green buildings, including the LEED Gold-certified Life Sciences Centre. All new construction is required to achieve LEED Gold certification, and all new residential construction follows guidelines set forth in the UBC Residential Environmental Assessment Program. Aging academic buildings are renovated to achieve LEED Silver certification.
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) requires all new construction and major renovations to aim for LEED Gold certification. Caltech’s overall campus design guidelines are under review to incorporate green building design standards. Three new projects are currently seeking LEED Gold certification and the new Center for Global Environmental Science is in the design stage of a LEED Platinum renovation.
Dartmouth College has drafted green building guidelines, completed three LEED-certified projects, and has four additional projects registered with LEED. The plan for the new Life Sciences Center aims to use 50 percent less energy than most lab buildings.
Construction projects at Emory University must meet LEED Silver criteria. Emory has six buildings with LEED certification and 11 buildings are LEED registered. The LEED Silver-certified Turman Residence Hall opened in August 2007. Few & Evans Residence, which has registered for LEED Gold, opened in August 2008 and features dual-flush toilets that use collected rainwater.
Johns Hopkins University incorporates green building features in new construction and renovation efforts. The campus has four LEED-certified buildings, and eight additional buildings are currently undergoing the LEED certification process. The university has the largest green roof in Maryland, equal to 75,000 square feet of green space, over a parking garage.
Princeton University's sustainable building guidelines require all projects to be designed to LEED Silver standards. New construction and major renovations must use 50 percent less energy than required by energy code. Many sustainable projects are underway, including a residential college with green roofs and a new chemistry building with rainwater collection.
The Reed College facilities master plan incorporates LEED criteria into its building guidelines. This year, four new LEED-certified residence halls will open. Construction includes green features such as landscaping that filters storm water runoff, and ventilation stacks that will cool buildings naturally. Low-volume showerheads and low-flush toilets have also been installed to save water.
University of California–Davis (UC Davis) requires all new construction to meet LEED certification standards and to be 20 percent more energy efficient than state code. UC Davis has many LEED Silver and Gold projects on campus, as well as the Platinum-certified Tahoe Center for Environmental Science.
Stanford University has increased it goals for energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reductions, and water conservation in its new buildings beyond existing guidelines, to a LEED Gold equivalent. The new Graduate School of Business Knight Management Center is seeking a LEED Platinum rating.