Amherst College
OP-1: Building Design and Construction

1.1 Percentage of new floor area designed and constructed to green building standards

An institution earns 3 points when all new campus buildings and major renovation projects completed within the previous five years have been third party certified to a comprehensive green building standard that addresses, at a minimum, energy, indoor environmental quality (IEQ), materials/waste, transportation, water, and the ecological aspects of the site. Incremental points are available based on the certification status of new building space and earned as outlined in the Technical Manual.

Measurement

Report on the current status of the institution’s buildings. Include all new buildings and major renovation projects completed within the previous five years, parking structures included. Building space that is yet to be occupied or commissioned, temporary and mobile structures, de minimis projects (e.g., less than 500 square meters in size), and projects that are otherwise ineligible for certification may be excluded. 

Third party certification may include formal certification under an external green building rating system or leadership recognition program, commissioning to verify adherence to a green building standard, inspection for compliance with a green building code, or the equivalent, as long as the process is conducted by entities and/or personnel who are not affiliated with the institution and are independent of the building design and construction process. 

Any standard definition of building space may be used (e.g., ASHRAE, ANSI/BOMA, IECC) as long as it is used consistently. Building space that meets more than one criterion (e.g., projects certified under a comprehensive green building rating system AND certified to be in compliance with a less comprehensive green building code) may not be double-counted. Building space reported here may be excluded from the Building Operations and Maintenance credit.

For further guidance and an updated list of qualifying green building standards, see the STARS Help Center.

Applicable to institutions that have completed one or more construction or major renovation projects within the previous five years.