Spring 2018 EditionAlumni & Friends Magazine
LEEDing the way
When renovations to Ellis Hall are completed this year, the landmark’s iconic features will remain intact: the brick façade, the east portico, the giant, shady sycamore trees. But when students and faculty re-enter the grounds, close inspection will reveal new technology that complements the building’s venerable vibe, including LED lighting, low-flow toilets and sinks, and drought-tolerant trees and shrubs.
Mary Reed, BSJ ’90, MA ’93 | May 10, 2018
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Ellis Hall will join 10 OHIO Athens Campus buildings and one Chillicothe Campus building that are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design , or LEED, certified. Seven more projects on the Athens Campus are currently in process for LEED certification. The effort is part of OHIO’s 2011 Sustainability Plan.
Ellis Hall renovations will be LEED-certified and completed this year. Photo by Kailee Slusser, BFA ’16
“Ohio University has become a leader within the state on sustainability,” says the Office of Sustainability’s Sam Crowl. The plan mandates that new building projects and renovations costing more than $2 million will be rated as LEED Silver certified or above. “OHIO was the first public institution in the state to hire a dedicated sustainability coordinator,” says Crowl, sustainability project coordinator.
Some “green” elements that chalk points toward a LEED certification are visible on the Athens Campus—The Patton College’s McCracken Hall has a living green roof, and the Walter Fieldhouse sits by a bioswale, a feature that absorbs pollutants in rainwater draining from parking lots. Hidden components include Green Power, earned through the University’s purchase of renewable energy certificates, whereby half of the electricity purchased for campus use comes from wind power.
