Brown-Kopel Engineering Center receives LEED certification

The Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center recently received silver certification by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, a green building certification program used worldwide.

Certification level is based on the amount of points achieved out of a possible 110 points in LEED v3. Points are awarded for features in six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design.

“One thing that is built into Auburn’s design and construction standards is to seek a LEED silver-level certification design,” said Simon Yendle, university architect and assistant vice president for Auburn University Facilities Management.

Notable features of the Brown-Kopel Center that helped achieve silver certification include: diverting 80 percent of construction waste from landfills, using 34 percent less water than buildings of comparable program and size and installing energy efficient air handler units that, when compared to industry baselines, use 20 percent less energy. The project also prioritized incorporating regional materials, of which 34 percent of materials by cost are sourced within 500 miles of Auburn, according to Kevin Johnson, architect and principal in the higher education studio at SmithGroup.

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