The Williams School building at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, has received LEED Gold certification for its sustainable design and construction--the first facility at the university to achieve the Gold designation.
The building opened at the start of the 2025-26 academic year and serves the School of Commerce, Economics and Politics.
The new Williams School building was designed using a lifecycle assessment approach that evaluated operational impact and material costs both now and throughout the building’s lifespan, prioritizing environmental sustainability and long-term value.
The building’s exterior sustainable features include adaptive landscaping that reduces the need for irrigation, chemicals and fertilizers; exterior lighting that reduces light pollution and its effects on the plants and animals; and a stormwater management system that releases water in a controlled manner, reducing the strain on sewer systems and nearby Woods Creek.
The interior uses a cutting-edge heat recovery chiller that contributes to a 37% building energy savings over standard code. A low-temperature hot water system will increase campus heating efficiency and ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels to near zero.
Wood products used throughout the building are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as having been harvested and produced with methods that prevent deforestation and forest degradation and increase biodiversity protection.
Indoor air quality was prioritized through the use of low- or no-VOC interior paints, entry floor mats that capture contaminants and carbon dioxide monitors that increase fresh air intake when spaces are fully occupied.
The building design maximizes natural light to support occupant health and well-being. Additional sustainable features include low-flow water fixtures, bird-safe glass and centralized waste management systems that improve recycling rates.
Washington & Lee has placed a major emphasis on its sustainability efforts, establishing a long-term Climate Action Plan in 2010 and updating the plan in 2019 with strategies to achieve carbon neutrality as a campus no later than 2050.
Among its sustainability efforts: creating an offsite solar array to offset carbon emissions; composting a portion of its dining waste; eliminating disposable water bottles and establishing an energy reduction program that has cut campus greenhouse gas emissions from electricity and natural gas by 50%.
In June 2025, the university began updating its campus utility infrastructure to transition its heating resources from natural gas to low-temperature hot water.
