Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 72.67
Liaison Aurora Sharrard
Submission Date Feb. 13, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Pittsburgh
OP-3: Building Design and Construction

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.35 / 3.00 Aurora Sharrard
Executive Director of Sustainability
Office of Sustainability

Criteria

Institution-owned buildings that were constructed or underwent major renovations in the previous five years were designed and built in accordance with a published green building code, policy/guideline, and/or rating system.

Green building codes, policies/guidelines, and rating systems may be:

  • Multi-attribute: addressing location and transportation, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, and indoor environmental quality (e.g., BREEAM, LEED BD+C, and similar programs); OR

  • Single-attribute: focusing predominantly on one aspect of sustainability such as energy/water efficiency, human health and wellbeing, or sustainable sites.

Building space that is third party certified under a multi-attribute green building rating system developed/ administered by a WorldGBC member Green Building Council (GBC) is weighted more heavily for scoring purposes than space designed and built under other standards and policies/programs. For more information, see Examples of Multi-attribute and Single-attribute Building Frameworks.

Floor area designed and built in accordance with multiple green building codes, policies/guidelines, and/or rating systems should not be double-counted.


Applicability

This credit applies to institutions that have new construction and/or major renovation projects completed within the previous five years that are eligible for certification under a green building rating system for design and construction.


Scoring

An institution earns the maximum of 3 points for this credit when all eligible building space completed during the previous five years is certified at the highest achievable level under a multi-attribute GBC rating system for new construction and major renovations. Incremental points are awarded based on the percentage of eligible building space designed and built in accordance with a published green building code, policy, or rating system and/or certified at various levels, as outlined in the table below.

Points for this credit are calculated automatically in the STARS Reporting Tool as follows:

 Design and construction level

Factor

 

Floor area certified or designed and built at each level

 

Total floor area of new or renovated building space

 

Points earned

Certified at the highest achievable level under a multi-attribute GBC rating system (e.g., LEED BD+C Platinum or Certified Living Building)

3.0

×

______

÷

______

=

 

Certified or at the 2nd highest level under a 4- or 5-tier, multi-attribute GBC rating system (e.g., LEED BD+C Gold)

2.5

______

 

Certified at mid-level under a 3- or 5-tier,  multi-attribute GBC rating system (e.g., BREEAM Very Good)

2.25

______

 

Certified at a step above minimum level under a 4- or 5-tier,  multi-attribute GBC rating system (e.g., LEED BD+C Silver)

2.0

______

 

Certified at minimum level under a multi-attribute GBC rating system (e.g., LEED BD+C Certified)

1.5

______

 

Certified/verified at any level under a a multi-attribute, non-GBC rating system, a green building code, or a single-attribute rating system

1.5

______

 

Designed and built in accordance with a multi-attribute green building code, policy/guideline, or rating system, but not certified

1.25

______

 

Designed and built in accordance with a single-attribute green building code, policy/guideline, or rating system, but not certified

0.625

 

______

       

Total points earned →

Up to 3


Measurement

Timeframe

Report on the current certification status of buildings at the time of submission. Buildings for which certification is pending should not be counted as certified space, and these buildings may be excluded from the institution’s profile for up to 2 years following registration with a rating system.

This credit focuses on buildings for which construction was completed within the five years prior to the anticipated date of submission.   

Sampling and Data Standards

Include all buildings that meet the criteria for eligible building space (design and construction). Reporting on a sample or subset of buildings is not allowed.

An institution may use any standard definition of floor area (e.g., ASHRAE, ANSI/BOMA, IECC), as long as it uses the same definition for both the total floor area of eligible building space and the floor area of building space that is certified and/or sustainably designed and constructed.

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.