University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business has earned LEED Platinum certification, the highest certification awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.
“I’m very proud that the Darla Moore School of Business has earned LEED Platinum certification,” Moore School Dean Peter Brews said. “This places the Moore School among an elite group of buildings earning the highest possible certification for sustainability – a goal that the school set early on in the design and construction of our new building.”
The USGBC’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification program is the nationally accepted standards for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. There are four LEED certification levels: certified, silver, gold and the highest, platinum.
The building, which opened in 2014, is the third LEED Platinum certified building for the architectural firm Rafael Viñoly Architects.
“We are honored that the Darla Moore School of Business received the highest green building commendation in the United States,” Viñoly, lead designer and founder of the architectural firm, said. “It is a gratifying achievement to meet the university’s goals for academic excellence and a forward-looking vision for partnership with the community, all while setting a benchmark in terms of design and sustainable use of resources.”
Keith Branham, who served as Stevens & Wilkinson’s chief engineer on the Moore School building, said the project required high-level collaboration and involved many of the university’s engineering graduates who are particularly proud of the hybrid heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.
To date, the university has more than 10 LEED certified buildings, of which four – the Honors Residence, the Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library, Patterson Residence Hall the Rice Athletics Building – have earned Gold status.