MCV renovations held to national LEED standards
MCV buildings work toward green renovations
The VCU Massey Cancer Center, along with the Pauley Heart Center will be renovated within LEED certification requirements. Photo by Chris Conway.
Tangee Bowman
Contributing Writer
In an effort to make the campus more eco-friendly, VCU plans on constructing and renovating campus buildings to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design point-system standards.
The Massey Cancer Center and Pauley Heart Center on the MCV campus are working with construction company, Skanska USA Inc., to achieve an LEED silver certification.
“The reason VCU builds to LEED standards is to reduce the impact of our buildings on our environment, thus reducing the production of green house gas emissions, and reducing the impact on our ecosystem,” said Fayez Dajani, green building services manager.
Skanska worked with VCU in 2009 to construct the Molecular Medicine Research building within the same guidelines as Massey and Pauley are currently being renovated.
“Skanska is very much in support of increasing the environmental performance of buildings, both new and old,” said Courtney Lorenz, environmental manager for Skanska USA Inc.
Lorenz stated in an email that LEED is the country’s most successful green-buildings system and market leader.
LEED buildings follow a point system. When constructing by LEED standards, a building earns points as it meets certain criteria.
There are up to four levels of certification that a building can meet: certified (40-49 points), silver (50-59 points), gold (60-79 points) and platinum (80+ points).
LEED buildings help the environment by conserving energy, reducing CO2 emissions and improving indoor air quality.
VCU’s Quest for Distinction states the VCU master plan should adhere to LEED building standards to create a better campus for faculty and staff.
“By 2013, VCU will have just over one million GSF (Gross Square Foot) of certified LEED building – about one-seventh of total campus,” Jacek Ghosh, director of sustainability, said.
“In the big picture … green buildings help to provide a better overall environment to us and to future generations,” Dajani said.
“Our students, faculty and their children will hopefully have a healthy world to live in after we are gone.”
