Previous Guest Blogger: Stewardship of Campus Identity—Who Decides and How? |
Next |
April 07, 2008, 01:27 PM ET
To LEED, or Not to LEED? That is the Question for Colleges Building Green
The Applied Research and Development building, at Northern Arizona U., is the highest-rated college building in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. (Photo courtesy Northern Arizona U.)
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program has kickstarted a national conversation about green building. A story in this week’s Chronicle looks at the cost of LEED certification and features some colleges that have decided to build green but skip certification, which they think is too expensive.
“We feel we know what the LEED standards are” and how to evaluate and interpret them, says Brian Chase, facilities director at Colorado State University. “It makes sense to us to put the money back into the building rather than get a certificate.”
But architects, like Ellen Watts, whose firm in Boston designs green buildings for colleges, have found that paying for certification can push institutions to be greener in construction than they would be otherwise.
“We’re a competitive society, sports-oriented, and high scores get us jazzed,” she says. “That can help play into a client’s fund-raising efforts, it can stimulate student discussion, and it can also spur the design team to consider things that they aren’t focused on without the scoring.”
Add Your Comment
Commenting is closed.