We are pleased to announce the Hopper Science Center at Williams College has earned LEED Platinum Certification as established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) verified the certification. LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
Photo courtesy of Robert Benson Photography
Sustainability is a top priority at Williams, and the Hopper Science Center is no exception. The building pairs new biology, chemistry and physics labs and faculty offices with a range of formal and informal meeting and study spaces, welcoming students into the sciences. Sustainable features include a robust, energy conserving building envelope that employs terracotta, a naturally maintenance free material. It also features bird friendly glazing, a photo voltaic solar array and many of the materials selected have a high-recycled content. The project takes a campus approach to water efficiency by using all excess air handling unit condensate and reverse osmosis reject water not used for toilet flushing, combined with harvested roof rainwater, to backfeed the Morley Science Center chillers saving over 860,000 gallons of potable water per year.
Photo courtesy of Robert Benson Photography