The Engineering and Computer Science West building at The University of Texas at Dallas has recevied LEED Gold certification for its environmentally friendly design and constuction.

The building, which opened in August 2018, is the seventh building on the UT Dallas campus to get LEED certification.

The four-story building is the new home of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and has 200,000 square feet of research and teaching labs, faculty offices, student workspaces and a 300-seat auditorium. 

Glass-windowed labs enable passersby to see research, which includes energy, robotics, and nanotechnologies and biotechnologies.

The building itself puts engineering on display; its reinforced concrete and steel structure is visible throughout, from exposed columns to the polished concrete floor slabs.

The building also combines passive design strategies, high-performance assemblies and calibrated shading elements to reduce overall solar heat gain and maximize daylight. 

The engineering building joins the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center and the Bioengineering and Sciences Building in receiving Gold recognition, the second-highest designation offered.

UT Dallas’ Student Services Building received the highest certification—Platinum—in 2010. Silver certifications were given to the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building, the Naveen Jindal School of Management Addition and the complex composed of Residence Hall West, Dining Hall West and Rec Center West.

As part of its design, the building incorporates regionally sourced materials and technology that significantly reduces water consumption.

“I am proud that UT Dallas has its seventh LEED-certified building this decade as a further demonstration of our commitment to sustainability as the University grows,” says Gary Cocke, associate director for energy conservation and sustainability.