Two buildings at Bucknell University receive LEED Gold rating

The South Campus Apartments and the adjacent Student Commons Building at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., have received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its environmentally friendly design and construction.

The $47-million, 165,000-square-foot complex residential complex opened in 2015 and provides apartment-style living space for 344 Bucknell University juniors and seniors. The Commons Building features à la carte dining and a large event space.

To achieve LEED Gold certification, the university incorporated numerous sustainable elements in both the South Campus Apartments and the Student Commons:

• More than 60 percent of waste generated during the Commons' construction, and 75 percent from the South Campus Apartments' construction, was diverted from landfills.
• More than three-quarters of construction lumber used in the Commons Building was sourced from sustainable forests to reduce environmental impacts, and all composite wood, paints, flooring, adhesives and sealants in the buildings are low volatile organic compound-emitting, reducing indoor air contaminants.
• Low heat-emitting windows reduce the need for artificial light during the day
• Occupancy sensors that shut off lights automatically when rooms aren't in use.
• Low-flow water fixtures cut water consumption by more than a third.
• The use of native plants for outdoor landscaping eliminates the need to use potable water for irrigation.

"Obtaining any LEED certification demonstrates Bucknell's commitment to sustainability and minimizing our impact on the environment," said Mike Patterson, Bucknell's executive director for facilities. "While we already do many of these things as part of our planning and design process, having a rigorous review and certification process provides a definitive indication of that commitment.​"