YSU's Williamson Hall leader in energy efficiency, environmental design

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State University’s Williamson Hall, featuring cutting-edge, energy-efficient design and systems, has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – is the nation’s pre-eminent program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Williamson Hall, home to the YSU Williamson College of Business Administration, is the first building on the YSU campus to earn the gold standard.

“When YSU set out more than five years ago to construct a new home for our business college, designing a building that met high standards of green energy- efficiency was a top goal,” YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson said. “LEED Gold certification is a clear sign that we’ve met that goal. Congratulations to everyone for their hard work and determination to make this happen.”

Betty Jo Licata, WCBA dean, added: “The fact that this building provides state-of-the-art facilities to our students and the community, and does so in an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient manner, is a significant accomplishment for our college and the university.”

YSU officials unveiled the LEED Gold certification plaque Tuesday in the atrium of Williamson Hall. The 110,000-square-foot, three-story hall, opened in summer 2010, encompasses nearly a full city block and is the largest single capital expenditure in YSU’s history.

Strollo Architects in Youngstown designed the building in collaboration with Perkins & Will, an international architecture and planning firm. Chris Morrone of CJL Engineering was the project’s mechanical and electrical associate and LEED commissioning agent.

Green-energy features in the building include:

An energy-efficient envelope and mechanical plumbing and electrical systems, resulting in utility cost savings of 33 percent.

Water fixtures that allow the building to use 48 percent less water than a conventional building, saving 224,800 gallons of water a year.

During construction, 94 percent of the construction waste was diverted from landfills and sent to recycling plants for reuse. More than one-quarter of the material used in construction was characterized as recycled content.

Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems that deliver 30 percent more outside air to the interior than a standard building, promoting cleaner, fresher air.

Nearly 93 percent of offices, classrooms and other occupied spaces have views to the outside.

The use of low-emitting materials such as paints, adhesives and carpeting.

The U.S. Green Building Council consists of 80 local affiliates, more than 18,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 167,000 LEED professional credential holders. The council’s LEED green-building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. More than 100,000 projects participate in the LEED rating systems.