Radford tops in Virginia colleges and universities in LEED square-footage percentage

Radford University has the highest percentage of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified campus building square footage of any private or public college or university in the Commonwealth of Virginia, according to publicly available building data for public and private four-year colleges and universities.

The percentage of the LEED-certified buildings footprint on Radford's campus is 43.71%.

Including other efficiency certifications such as Energy Star-rated buildings, 50.67% of Radford University's campus square footage is considered energy- and water-efficient - the highest percentage in the commonwealth, according to the collected data. LEED data was gathered from STARS, the U.S. Green Building Council, campus websites and direct outreach.

"LEED-certified buildings are mindfully built. During the construction process, everything from water and energy efficiency to waste management to low VOC materials to the amount of natural light in the building design is considered as part of the scoring process," said Radford University Sustainability Manager Aysha Bodenhamer. "It is incredibly difficult to achieve a LEED Silver rating, yet Radford University has 12 LEED Gold-certified buildings.

"This is an impressive track record and definitely something to be proud of," Bodenhamer continued. "The university's investment in green buildings is also a great demonstration of Radford's commitment to sustainability as well."

The LEED rating system comprises a number of credit categories, including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, indoor environment quality and innovation and design process.

LEED is a voluntary program that provides verification of green buildings by the U.S. Green Building Council. According to the USGBC, LEED-certified buildings lower operating costs, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, reduce waste sent to landfills, are healthier for occupants and conserve energy and water.

Radford's Reed and Curie Halls were the most recent campus buildings to receive LEED Gold certification. Reed and Curie are two buildings connected as one and therefore were renovated and LEED-certified as one building. LEED's certification of the project makes the combined building the 12th Radford University building project to achieve gold status.

The Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity, which opened at the beginning of the fall 2024 semester, is undergoing LEED certification, as are Tyler and Norwood residence halls following renovations.

Preceding Reed and Curie LEED-certified status was Whitt Hall in November 2018. The Center for the Sciences was granted LEED Silver status in May 2018. Two months earlier, Bolling, Draper and Pocahontas were added to the list of Radford University residence halls that have received LEED Gold status. Those buildings joined Madison, Jefferson and Moffett halls on the gold list.

The College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences Building achieved LEED Gold in 2017, and Kyle Hall, home of the Davis College of Business and Economics, did so in 2014. Moffett Hall was recognized in 2013. Madison and Jefferson were granted LEED Gold status following renovations completed in 2011.