Wayland Hall Earns Precious Metal
News
James Madison University's Wayland Hall is the first renovated residence hall in the country to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum award. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the renovation of Wayland Hall the platinum certification, the highest LEED certification status, on Jan. 11.
"Wayland Hall exemplifies JMU's commitment to being a model steward of the natural world," said Dr. Christie-Joy Brodrick-Hartman, executive director of the JMU Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World. "Staff from many areas across the university contributed to the project, and their achievement reflects that environmental stewardship is becoming a part of our culture."
Wayland Hall is one of just four full-scale LEED platinum residence halls in the country, and the first to achieve platinum status for a renovation under USGBC’s new construction guidelines. LEED-certified buildings are designed to lower operating costs, increase asset value, reduce waste sent to landfills and conserve energy.
According to David Oakland, principal of VMDO Architects, the firm that worked with JMU on the renovation, Wayland Hall's deep energy retrofit is expected to reduce the building’s energy consumption by 39 percent and save 1.3 million gallons of water annually. The building utilizes a ground-source heat pump and well field, a 10,000-gallon water tank to collect rainwater and the showers have a drain-water heat recovery system. VMDO's design increased natural light and sustainable materials were used on the interior walls, carpets and living spaces. The outside of the building has natural landscaping and a parking lot was converted to green space behind the residence hall.
"The sustainability component is what distinguishes Wayland from past renovations," said Maggie Evans, director of the Office of Residence Life. Evans said the rooms have multiple light fixtures and switches and residents can control the temperature in their rooms. "There are also sensors on the window so that if a student decides he or she wants fresh air, when the sensor reads the window as open, it automatically turns off the HVAC so we are not wasting energy," said Evans.
“Wayland Hall is special in that it exposes students to environmental stewardship as part of their daily living," said Oakland. "College is a formative time in students’ lives. We hope the building – in addition to performing with exceptional efficiency – inspires students to pursue conservation throughout adulthood.”
Related links:
- USGBC's LEED Certification
- Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World
- Office of Residence Life
- Renovated Wayland Hall to be Transformed by the Arts
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