Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.39
Liaison Weston Dripps
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Amherst College
OP-4: Building Design and Construction

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.72 / 3.00 Laura Draucker
Director of Sustainability
Office of Environmental Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total floor area of newly constructed or renovated building space (include projects completed within the previous five years) :
15,041 Square meters

Certified Projects 

Floor area of newly constructed or renovated building space certified Living under the Living Building Challenge:
0 Square meters

Floor area of newly constructed or renovated building space certified at each level under a rating system for design and construction used by an Established Green Building Council (GBC) :
Certified Floor Area
LEED BD+C Platinum or at the highest achievable level under another rating system 0 Square meters
LEED BD+C Gold or at the 2nd highest level under another 4- or 5-tier GBC rating system 0 Square meters
Certified at mid-level under a 3- or 5-tier GBC rating system for design and construction (e.g. BREEAM, CASBEE, DGNB, Green Star) 0 Square meters
LEED BD+C Silver or at a step above minimum level under another 4- or 5-tier GBC rating system 0 Square meters
LEED BD+C Certified or certified at minimum level under another GBC rating system 0 Square meters

Floor area of newly constructed or renovated building space certified under a non-GBC rating system for design and construction (e.g. Green Globes NC, Certified Passive House):
0 Square meters

Percentage of newly constructed or renovated building space certified under a green building rating system for design and construction:
0

If reporting certified projects, provide:

A brief description of the green building rating system(s) used and/or a list of certified buildings and ratings:
Our new buildings follow high-performance standards, but not anything that is certified.

If reporting uncertified projects, provide:

Uncertified Projects 

Floor area of newly constructed or renovated building space that is NOT certified, but that was designed and constructed in accordance with published green building guidelines and policies:
15,041 Square meters

If reporting published green building guidelines or policies, provide the following:

A copy of the green building guidelines or policies :
The green building guidelines or policies:
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Do the green building guidelines or policies cover the following?:
Yes or No
Impacts on the surrounding site (e.g. guidelines to reuse previously developed land, protect environmentally sensitive areas, and otherwise minimize site impacts) Yes
Energy consumption (e.g. policies requiring a minimum level of energy efficiency for buildings and their systems) Yes
Building-level energy metering No
Use of environmentally preferable materials (e.g. guidelines to minimize the life cycle impacts associated with building materials) No
Indoor environmental quality (i.e. guidelines to protect the health and comfort of building occupants) Yes
Water consumption (e.g. requiring minimum standards of efficiency for indoor and outdoor water use) Yes
Building-level water metering No

A brief description of the green building guidelines or policies and/or a list or sample of buildings covered:
The policy regarding green buildings was established to inform and direct the College’s new construction and renovation design process in order to prioritize energy sustainability and guarantee a commitment to high-performance and green building principles. Areas of focus include adaptive reuse, site selection, planning and design, energy- and water-efficiency, use of renewable energy, indoor environmental quality, efficient and environmentally friendly materials, recycling during and after construction, and building commissioning.

None
A brief description of how the institution ensures compliance with green building design and construction guidelines and policies:
The college conducts an internal review of every new project before construction begins. Every sector of the Facilities Department has the opportunity to offer comments as part of the review process. This collaboration ensures that the college is doing everything it can to maximize energy conservation and sustainability measures.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
2/26/19 - Does not include new science center as that was not in operation in the 17-18 school year (opened September 2018).

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.