Spring 2007, Volume 10 Newsletter:
HARVARD'S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS
Over the past six years, Harvard has experienced a boom in green new construction and renovation. These projects demonstrate the University's commitment to sustainability and occupant health and comfort, while providing lessons learned for each new project that the University undertakes. This is best demonstrated by the 20 Harvard projects registered or certified with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), seven of which have already received a Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) Certification. The most recently certified building is 46 Blackstone, which was awarded a Platinum rating, the highest possible level, and the first Platinum building at Harvard.
LEED Certification recognizes buildings that have selected and improved a sustainable site, improved water efficiency, minimized energy use, selected environmentally preferred building materials, provided an improved indoor environmental quality and utilized innovative strategies to improve building performance. The state of Massachusetts currently has 32 LEED certified buildings, including the seven at Harvard.
Harvard continues to build upon past successes as lessons learned from one project are transferred to the next. This has allowed for such innovations as flat screen plasma televisions showing real-time energy use, ventilation rates that are directly tied to carbon dioxide levels inside a building, and reductions in energy use by as much as 40% better than a traditional code-compliant building.