Reed and Curie Halls receive LEED Gold certification
Radford University’s Reed and Curie Halls are the latest campus buildings to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification, marking another achievement in the University's sustainability initiatives.
Reed and Curie are two buildings connected as one, and therefore were renovated and LEED certified as one building. LEED’s certification of the project makes the combined building the 11th Radford University building project to achieve gold status.
“Earning a LEED Gold certification on the renovation of Reed and Curie Halls is an achievement that Radford University is proud of,” said Josh Nease, Radford University sustainability manager. “The accomplishment took the collective efforts of the University’s facilities and planning teams, the architects, engineers and contractors who persistently strive for gold.”
Reed and Curie Halls, home to the Artis College of Science and Technology, underwent significant joint renovations that were completed in January 2020. The remodeled structures complement the connecting Center for the Sciences and include 94,840 square feet of teaching and research facilities.
Reed and Curie feature the University’s Tree Ring Lab and the Geology Maker Lab, as well as the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Center and Geohazards and Unmanned Systems Research Center and a renovated greenhouse with a variety of plants and a display from the Radford Amazonian Research Expedition (RARE).
Reed and Curie also house the Artis Cybersecurity Training and Education Lab — also known as the Artis Cyber Lab — an isolated computer network for cybersecurity research and online defense competitions, including the RUSecure Capture the Flag contest that attracts nearly 1,500 high school students each year.
The LEED rating system comprises a number of credit categories, including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, indoor environment quality and innovation and design process.
LEED is a voluntary program that provides verification of green buildings by the U.S. Green Building Council. According to the USGBC, LEED-certified buildings lower operating costs, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, reduce waste sent to landfills, are healthier for occupants and conserve energy and water.
In the Reed and Curie renovation, 93% of the existing structural elements were reused, and more than 16% of total building materials content were manufactured using recycled materials. More than 75% of the on-site generated construction waste was diverted from the landfill, and about 70% of the total wood-based building materials are Forest Stewardship Council certified.
All light fixtures in Reed and Curie Halls use LED lamps, achieving an energy-saving cost of about 22.5%.
Low-flow sinks, toilets and other fixtures are in use in Reed and Curie, reducing potable-water usage by 55%.
In addition, a green-cleaning program has been implemented in the buildings.
Reed and Curie Halls are the first Radford University buildings to be granted LEED certified status since Whitt Hall in November 2018. The Center for the Sciences was granted LEED Silver status in May 2018. Two months earlier, Bolling, Draper and Pocahontas were added to the list of Radford University residence halls that have received LEED Gold status. Those buildings joined Madison, Jefferson and Moffett halls on the gold list.
The College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences Building achieved LEED Gold in 2017, and Kyle Hall, home of the Davis College of Business and Economics, did so in 2014. Moffett Hall was recognized in 2013. Madison and Jefferson were granted LEED Gold status following renovations completed in 2011.
Achieving LEED status for its campus buildings is an important component of Radford University’s long-standing focus and commitment to reaching carbon neutrality and promoting campus-wide sustainability.
In November 2020, Radford University President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., signed the Carbon Commitment, an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2040 and to integrate sustainability and climate action into the University curriculum and culture.