Weinstein Hall receives Green Building Council certification

Building is named one of most environmentally friendly buildings in the world Features include air monitoring system and recycled steel

Weinstein Hall, the University's social sciences building, recently was named one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the world.

The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the building, opened in July 2003, its Leadership, Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Prior to Weinstein's certification, only 115 buildings in the world were LEED certified, and Weinstein is one of just four buildings in Virginia so designated.

Expansion and renovation of an existing 15,000-sq. ft. structure on campus enlarged the building to 53,000 sq. ft. Architects and contractors followed the council's guidelines throughout construction and included many environmentally friendly features, including a system that monitors and adjusts fresh air entering the building to improve comfort and save energy.

Other features include special parking for carpool and alternative fuel vehicles, with plug-ins for recharging electric motors; special mats at major entrances to remove particles from shoes; and use of recycled steel and other recycled contents. All materials, such as paint and carpeting, were selected for their low "volatile organic compounds," which reduce allergyrelated problems for faculty, staff and students.

"LEED certification is a great honor because it proves that the building is sustainable," said Andrew McBride, university architect. "Institutional builders like the University of Richmond are appropriate leaders of this movement because they build for the long term and influence future leaders."

The building provides state-of-the-art quarters for the university's journalism, political science, sociology-anthropology and rhetoric-communication studies departments. The facility also houses the university's Speech Center, Debate Center and Integrated Journalism Center.

The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation's foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Members of the council developed the LEED rating system, a consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

RICHMOND MATTERS