Grand Valley committed to green buildings

Grand Valley State University's Indoor Turf Building has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

LEED — which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — is an internationally recognized certification system that certifies environmentally sustainable construction projects. The process considers factors like building location, water and energy use, indoor air quality and building design.

It is the second Grand Valley building to be awarded the coveted LEED Gold certification. The first was the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center in Muskegon. In total, the university has 15 structures that either have been LEED certified or are in various stages of the process of being certified — visible signs of Grand Valley's commitment to making its operations greener and more sustainable. In addition, an application has been filed to have the entire Allendale Campus LEED certified.

Grand Valley’s LEED Buildings
LEED Gold
Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center
Laker Turf Building

LEED Silver
Lake Ontario Hall
Green House on Watson Street

LEED Certified
John C. Kennedy Hall of Engineering
Mackinac Hall renovation

Certification pending
Niemeyer Learning and Living Center
Mackinac Hall expansion
Kirkhof Center addition
Bicycle Factory
Housing 2010 (under construction)
Learning/Dining 2010 (under construction)
Mary Idema Pew Learning and Information Commons (upcoming)

Grand Valley has been recognized nationally for its sustainability efforts and was the only Michigan school cited in Kaplan College Guide 2009's list of "cutting-edge green" colleges and universities.  The university was the recipient of the U.S. Green Building Council’s 2008 Recognition Award and the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s 2008 National Sustainability Innovator Award. Grand Valley’s Mark A. Murray Living Center was given an Energy Star designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — the first university student housing unit in Michigan to receive such a designation.