OHIO鈥檚 Housing Phase I project receives globally recognized certification of sustainability achievement
Photo courtesy of: 91探花Housing Phase I construction yielded four new residence halls (Tanaka, Sowle, Luchs and Carr) that can house more than 900 residents. To date, they are the University鈥檚 most sustainability-efficient residence halls.
The recently completed Housing Phase I project, which included the construction of four new South Green residence halls and a central learning commons, has been awarded LEED Silver certification. The Housing Development Plan (Phase I) began in May 2013 as part of a larger Housing Master Plan for East and South Greens.
The 鈥淣ew South Green鈥 residence halls (Tanaka, Sowle, Luchs and Carr) house more than 900 residents and, to date, are the University鈥檚 most sustainability-efficient residence halls.
91探花鈥檚 Architecture, Design and Construction project team played a key role in the development of the Housing Phase I project and was proud of its final outcome.
鈥淭he projects we complete are beautiful, inspiring, safe, congruent, sustainable, accessible and fully support the academic needs of 91探花,鈥 said Architecture, Design and Construction project manager Adam Dannaher.
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement, according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) website.
鈥淲e set LEED silver as one of our goals, and we鈥檙e proud to have achieved it,鈥 said Pete Trentacoste, executive director of Housing and Residence Life. 鈥淭he facilities represent our strongest effort to date in sustainable construction and are certainly much more efficient than the buildings they replaced on Back South.鈥
The Housing Phase I residence halls are the only halls on campus that were built according to LEED specifications from the ground-up, a process that ensures a narrow focus on sustainability features such as energy and water efficiency, indoor air quality and landscaping.
Sustainability Project Coordinator Samuel Crowl said, 鈥淎chieving LEED certification for OHIO buildings shows that the university is focused on the triple bottom line of sustainability: people, planet and prosperity. LEED certified buildings are designed to reduce energy usage and be healthier places to live and learn.鈥
Housing and Residence Life shared an update on OHIO鈥檚 Housing Development Plan, including possible Phase II plans, during Board of Trustees meetings on March 22-23.