The college has been awarded LEED – Gold certification established by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), for the KJ Building – the home to Hamilton’s social sciences departments.
Another Hamilton campus building, Skenandoa House, had received LEED Silver certification in 2006, but KJ is the college’s first LEED Gold certified building.
Like other renovation and construction projects on campus, the KJ project features energy-efficient mechanical systems, environmentally friendly materials and improved indoor environmental quality. According to Steve Bellona, associate vice president for facilities and planning, KJ will provide a 25-28% savings in energy due to its layout and architecture.
In the renovation of KJ, creating an environmentally friendly building was accomplished while still maintaining a dynamic building design. The building was selected for outstanding design and feted with a two-page spread in the Outstanding Design American School and University Portfolio for 2009.
Besides the social sciences departments, KJ also the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center, the Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center and the Oral Communications Center.
Those who were involved in the successful KJ renovation include Ewing Cole and Belson Design, the architects; The Saratoga Associates, the landscape architect and civil engineer; and ECOtelligent, the environmental consultant.
