Yellowstone Hall, a residence hall for freshmen at Montana State University in Bozeman, has received LEED Gold certification for its energy-efficient design and construction.
The university says the $34.5 million facility opened in 2016 to 436 students. It is the first freshman residence hall to built at Montana State in half a century.
Among the building's energy-saving elements is a solar wall to pre-heat hot water and help the university lower its utility bill.
“Managing the operating and maintenance costs of our facilities is critical to MSU’s financial stewardship obligation to the taxpayer, our students and their families,” says Dan Stevenson, associate vice president of University Services.
Other sustainable elements in the Yellowstone Hall project:
- 96 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills.
- Recycled materials accounted for nearly 12 percent of the total building materials.
- Potable water use in the building has been reduced by 42 percent. Yellowstone Hall uses faucets that dispense 0.5 gallons of water per minute and shower heads that use 1 ½ gallons of water per minute.
- Covered bicycle storage facilities encourage alternative transportation use.
- Energy cost savings are projected to be more than 30 percent.
- Regional materials (those manufactured and extracted within 500 miles of the project site) accounted for more than 23 percent of the total building materials.
Construction costs will be repaid with Auxiliary Services revenues from student housing fees, the university says.
The architects are SMA Architects and NAC Architecture. The contractor is Langlas & Associates.
Yellowstone Hall is the fifth LEED-certified building on the Montana State campus.
