Medical Student Residence Certified LEED Gold

The Medical Student Residence (MSR) has been officially certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as LEED Gold, the second building on the Medical Campus to achieve LEED certification.  The first was 670 Albany Street in January 2008. Throughout the University eight buildings have been certified and this is the fifth to achieve Gold.

LEED, an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally-recognized green building certification system. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in March 2000, LEED provides a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. It promotes sustainable building and development practices.

The MSR was designed and built with the goal of reducing waste sent to landfills, conserving energy and water, providing a healthier and safer indoor environment for its occupants, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Some highlights of the sustainable building strategies used at the MSR include:

*   18 percent more energy efficient than required by the building code
*   Rainwater harvesting for landscape irrigation
*   40 percent water use reduction through efficient plumbing fixtures
*   88 percent of construction waste was recycled
*   33 percent recycled content of all construction material