The Harry and Susan Seigle Hall has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
The LEED rating system is a third-party certification program for the design, construction and operation of environmentally friendly buildings. Seigle Hall, which opened last fall, is the fourth LEED-certified building on the Danforth Campus.
LEED-certified construction is part of the University’s strategy to reduce its environmental impact, manage its financial resources and improve indoor environments.
“We are pleased with this recognition of the University’s commitment to being a sustainability leader,” said Henry S. Webber, executive vice chancellor for administration.
In order to become LEED certified, a project must earn a certain number of “points,” which are awarded by the USGBC for following green practices. Such green practices include designing a landscape of native plants to eliminate the need for a permanent irrigation system; reducing energy consumption by controlling lighting and air-conditioning in unoccupied spaces; and implementing an air-quality management plan during construction.
Seigle Hall received points for the previously mentioned criteria and the building’s other green features, including low-flow bathroom fixtures that reduce water usage by 41 percent; efficient heating, cooling and ventilation systems that reduce energy consumption by 22 percent; and building materials that were locally harvested and manufactured.
Other LEED-certified buildings on the Danforth Campus are the Village East student apartment building, Danforth University Center and Earth & Planetary Sciences Building.
Seigle Hall houses teaching, office and meeting spaces for the School of Law and the departments of Economics, Education and Political Science, all in Arts & Sciences.
It also is home to the Center for Applied Statistics; Center for Dynamic Economics; Center for Empirical Research in the Law; Center for Interdisciplinary Studies; Center for New Institutional Social Sciences; Center in Political Economy; Center on Urban Research and Public Policy; Murray Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy; and Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute.