The University of Notre Dame says two of its newest residence halls have received LEED Gold certification for their high levels of sustainability.
Flaherty Hall, a 226-bed residence for women, and Dunne Hall, a 221-bed residence for men, opened in 2016 on the Notre Dame, Ind., campus.
The university says its designs for the buildings were carefully planned to incorporate methods for saving energy, water and other resources and generating less waste in both the construction and operation of the facilities.
Compared with other newly constructed buildings, Flaherty Hall and Dunne Hall each consume 28 percent less energy for heating and cooling, which contributes to a more healthful and sustainable environment.
“The University is committed to environmentally conscious design and operations that uses its resources wisely,” says Doug Marsh, vice president and university architect.
The buildings also use many other methods to save energy and resources. With high-efficiency faucets, shower heads and toilets, both residence halls use much less water. On average, Flaherty Hall uses about 45 percent less water than a similar new building, and Dunne Hall uses about 51 percent less water.
Throughout the construction of the facilities, each project sourced more than 33 percent of building materials from the local region, and used materials with more than 20 percent of recycled content.
All materials, such as paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, flooring systems and agrifiber products, were certified as low-emitting. During construction, project managers eliminated and minimized waste as much as possible, and reused materials when feasible in the construction of the halls.
Since 2011, the University of Notre Dame has been committed to following LEED standards for new construction. Including Flaherty and Dunne halls, the University has received eight LEED Gold certifications, three LEED Silver certifications and multiple LEED certifications. It is in the process of seeking three more LEED Silver certifications.
