Oct 25, 2019 _ news

Going for the Gold with a Better World to Win

Miami University recently announced that Minnich and Scott Halls, two newly-renovated residence halls, have been certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold. In addition to these two, a third GBBN-led renovation of Stanton Hall is on track to be certified LEED Silver.

LEED certifications—LEED Gold—can be difficult to achieve on renovations of existing buildings, because you inherit unpredictable building conditions. “While similar in layout and aesthetic” says GBBN Associate Principal, Zach Zettler, “each building presents new challenges and opportunities to unlock the potential of both sustainability and resiliency.”

A longtime partner of Miami University, “GBBN shares Miami University’s commitment to sustainability,” says GBBN Director of Sustainability and Resilience, Tiffany Broyles Yost. “We believe there is inherent value in renovating and repurposing existing buildings,” she adds. “This significantly reduces the embodied carbon emissions of the project and helps both Miami University and GBBN develop a path to carbon neutrality.”

What do these certifications mean? Some highlights from Minnich and Scott Halls:

• They show a 44% improvement on baseline energy performance (vs. non-LEED buildings)
• They demonstrate a 40% reduction in indoor water usage
• 75% of the construction and demolition debris have been diverted from landfills
• Scott Hall reused 55% of the existing building infrastructure, Minnich reused 95%

Read the Cincinnati Business Courier’s story here.

Read about how our award-winning design of Tree Pittsburgh’s net-zero energy campus, which helped reclaim a former steel mill site along the Allegheny River, here.

Read more about our work with Miami University here.