Five new buildings totaling 245,000 square feet at the University of Notre Dame have received LEED certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Baumer Hall and Johnson Family Hall each earned Gold, and the Matthew and Joyce Walsh Family Hall of Architecture, the Irish Athletics Center and the new Corby Hall each received silver.
The University began building to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards in 2008, with the mission to achieve no less than LEED Silver for each new or newly renovated construction project on campus. The University also pursues sustainability measures beyond the scope of the LEED program that are not recognized for credit, including its commitment to sustainably produce a percentage of its own power and invest in features such as environmentally friendly slate roofs, which divert hundreds of used shingles from area landfills.
Each building project is unique in its own way and incorporates sustainability initiatives based on the individual needs of the building. More than 250 points were achieved in the USGBC score rating process. In all, the five buildings diverted more than 12,736 tons of waste from landfills into recycled materials. The incorporation of low-flow water fixtures and water bottle filling stations in each building, along with the use of advanced irrigation technology, gives a projected annual water savings of 7,536,928 gallons. Thanks to LED lighting, lighting controls technology, and highly efficient HVAC equipment, the buildings’ combined energy savings of more than 1,551,844 kilowatt-hours equates to the energy required to power 145 homes for a year.
During the Jan. 26 virtual USGBC Indiana Leadership Awards Celebration, the Johnson Family Hall project received an honorable mention in the 2021 USGBC Indiana Leadership Awards in the Green Building of the Year New Construction category for its many sustainable building features.