Nursing Building receives LEED certification

Posted by University News Service

Nov. 7, 2011

The Nursing Building at Texas State University’s Round Rock campus has been awarded LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Texas State set a goal of LEED Silver certification for the Nursing Building to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable building. The building is the first in The Texas State University System to achieve LEED certification.

“At Texas State, we felt strongly that this state-of-the-art academic building be constructed using LEED design principles,” said Texas State President Denise Trauth. “We wanted to respond in a very real way to make our campus environment more healthy and pleasant for the students and faculty, more responsible to resource sustainability and more energy efficient.”

The Nursing Building achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. By using less energy and water, LEED certified buildings save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a healthier environment.

“The green building movement offers an unprecedented opportunity to respond to the most important challenges of our time,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council. “Innovative building projects such as Texas State’s Nursing Building are a fundamental driving force in the green building movement.”

The Nursing Building is the second building at Texas State’s Round Rock campus. Its 77,740 square feet include classrooms, clinical practice laboratories, seminar rooms, a research suite and faculty and administrative space. It is home to Texas State’s St. David’s School of Nursing.

Lauren Goldberg, the project manager from Barnes Gromatzky Kosarek Architects who coordinated the LEED effort, said, “Considering the Nursing Building houses the first health science program on the Texas State Round Rock campus, we felt strongly that the sustainable design focus should be on indoor environmental quality, which encourages the built environment to enhance and support the well-being, productivity and good health of its occupants.”

The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for the nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.