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Green Construction and Operations

Weill Hall is expected to earn Cornell's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The construction site, materials, design, building practices, and maintenance systems all play a part in this rigorous and prestigious rating. Highlights of Weill Hall's green leadership include:

green roof
This green roof on the learning center is one feature that earned the building a gold LEED certification.
  • Two living “green roofs” reduce rainwater runoff, reduce heating and cooling costs, and filter airborne pollutants and carbon dioxide.
  • The two green roofs will hold approximately 31,000 sedum plants.
  • Highly efficient plumbing fixtures and a gray-water reclamation system reduce the building's wastewater generation by over 41%, or 450,000 gallons per year, compared with a standard building.
  • Weill Hall uses over 40% less energy than a standard building of the same size. This will result in a reduction of more than 6,000 tons in greenhouse gas emissions per year—equivalent to a power plant burning 16 fewer tons of coal per day.
  • More than 65% of construction waste was recycled or reused, keeping it out of landfills.
  • 20% of the value of the products purchased was spent on recycled materials, 78% on locally manufactured materials, and 56% on locally extracted materials. This represented over $12 million returned to the local economy and environmental recyclers—enough to employ about 300 Tompkins County workers for a year.
  • Over 60% of the wood products installed in the building are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from sustainably managed forests.
  • All paints, adhesives, sealants, and carpeting used in the building have low volatile organic compound (VOC) content.
  • Heating and cooling systems use no ozone-depleting CFCs, HFCs, or halons.
  • Lake-source cooling greatly reduces the energy required to cool the building, and saves over 880,000-gallons of water that would be lost by a traditional cooling system per year.
  • An educational program will be integrated into operations at Weill Hall, to help students, faculty, and staff learn about sustainable design and construction.