West Hall Earns Gold LEED Status as Environmentally Sound

West Hall, the new enrollment services center at Middlesex County College, has earned a LEED® gold rating from the United States Green Building Council, signifying its environmental attributes. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized mark of excellence that provides building owners with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

“The LEED program encourages us to design buildings that have a low impact on the environment with optimal energy efficiency,” said Donald R. Drost, executive director of Facilities Maintenance at MCC. “It validates our efforts.”

The LEED report on the project looked at seven areas: sustainability sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, regional priority, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation. Some of the building’s features include water efficient plumbing fixtures, LED lights, and prominent windows to reduce excessive energy use. The building’s paint, floor and furniture are non-toxic, 30 percent of the materials used in construction included recycled content, construction waste was recycled.

This is MCC’s second building to receive a LEED rating; Crabiel Hall, which opened in 2011, was awarded a silver rank.