Health and Life Sciences Building at Elgin Community College Awarded Prestigious LEED Silver Building Certification

Elgin Community College achieved LEED® Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the design of its new Health and Life Sciences Building (Building A), located in Elgin, Illinois. The LEED rating system is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings.

The Health and Life Sciences Building is a 160,454-square-foot state-of-the-art educational facility that prepares future leaders in the healthcare profession with an innovative and hands-on learning environment. Completed in 2011, the project was designed by Kluber Architects + Engineers with partner Kahler Slater and construction management by Lamp, Inc.

Elgin Community College achieved LEED certification for the Health and Life Sciences Building for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

“The Health and Life Sciences Building’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and the Health and Life Sciences Building serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish.” 

The design team worked with Elgin Community College to align project goals and streamline the project process to deliver an affordable LEED certified building. “A common misconception is that LEED certification adds significant cost to building construction,” said project manager and architect Clayton Haldeman. “In truth, it’s possible to strategically incorporate sustainable design elements into the project, as was done with the Health and Life Sciences Building. Our optimized building envelope, highly-efficient mechanical and electrical systems, sustainable project site handling and improvements, as well as material management strategies were incorporated into the overall design and construction budget from the start.”

LEED remains the world’s most prevalent green building rating system, recognizing buildings that stand at the forefront of sustainable design. “We are extremely proud of this accomplishment and honored to be contributing to Illinois’ nationally top-ranked status in LEED certified projects,” said Haldeman.