OHIO’s Housing Phase I project receives globally recognized certification of sustainability achievement

Photo courtesy of: Ohio UniversityHousing Phase I construction yielded four new residence halls (Tanaka, Sowle, Luchs and Carr) that can house more than 900 residents. To date, they are the University’s most sustainability-efficient residence halls.

The recently completed Housing Phase I project, which included the construction of four new South Green residence halls and a central learning commons, has been awarded LEED Silver certification. The Housing Development Plan (Phase I) began in May 2013 as part of a larger Housing Master Plan for East and South Greens.

The “New South Green” residence halls (Tanaka, Sowle, Luchs and Carr) house more than 900 residents and, to date, are the University’s most sustainability-efficient residence halls.

Ohio University’s Architecture, Design and Construction project team played a key role in the development of the Housing Phase I project and was proud of its final outcome.

“The projects we complete are beautiful, inspiring, safe, congruent, sustainable, accessible and fully support the academic needs of Ohio University,” said Architecture, Design and Construction project manager Adam Dannaher.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement, according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) website.

“We set LEED silver as one of our goals, and we’re proud to have achieved it,” said Pete Trentacoste, executive director of Housing and Residence Life. “The facilities represent our strongest effort to date in sustainable construction and are certainly much more efficient than the buildings they replaced on Back South.”

The Housing Phase I residence halls are the only halls on campus that were built according to LEED specifications from the ground-up, a process that ensures a narrow focus on sustainability features such as energy and water efficiency, indoor air quality and landscaping. 

Sustainability Project Coordinator Samuel Crowl said, “Achieving LEED certification for OHIO buildings shows that the university is focused on the triple bottom line of sustainability: people, planet and prosperity. LEED certified buildings are designed to reduce energy usage and be healthier places to live and learn.”

Housing and Residence Life shared an update on OHIO’s Housing Development Plan, including possible Phase II plans, during Board of Trustees meetings on March 22-23.