New Halls Bring Home Silver

Optimized energy performance may seem like a dry topic, but it’s one of the features that earned Magnolia and Dogwood residence halls and North Dining Hall LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certifications this semester. Undergraduate residents have occupied the residence halls since fall 2013. North Dining Hall welcomed students in January 2014. Prior to receiving certification from the US Green Building Council, however, each required post-occupancy performance verification. All new buildings on campus are designed to meet at least LEED-Silver standards.

The buildings include hi-tech occupancy sensor lights, an interactive energy and water usage dashboard, and low- flow plumbing fixtures. Natural light and high performance lighting in the buildings also decrease energy usage.

Learn more about some of the sustainable features from the LEED scorecards for Magnolia, Dogwood, and North Dining Hall.