The Commons Center, part of Vanderbilt University's new community for first-year students, has received a gold LEED certification for environmentally friendly design. School officials say the project is the first gold certification received by a higher-education institution in Tennessee. The center also is the first project in Nashville to receive a gold LEED rating. Environmentally friendly features and practices at the center include hood exhaust systems in the kitchen that increase efficiency by more than 30 percent. The building also will save an estimated 900,000 gallons of water per year through the use of waterless urinals, dual-flush toilets and low-flow fixtures. Special materials, paints and adhesives were selected for healthful indoor air quality.
To read the university's news release click here.
