Green Building

High Performance, Green Building

At Case Western Reserve, we are dedicated to improving the sustainability, efficiency, and human health impact of all of our buildings on campus. Whether we are making efficiency improvements to the lighting system in an existing building, or designing a new, energy efficient building, we are making strides towards carbon neutrality and human flourishing.

The University is committed to building to the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. LEED is a rigorous standard with a lengthy, peer-reviewed checklist. Our architectural and engineering teams work very hard throughout the design, construction and early occupancy of our building projects to document the achievement of LEED points. Certification is often not awarded until well after buildings are open and occupied because of the amount of information that needs to be reviewed by the USGBC's experts. LEED buildings can be certified Platinum, Gold, Silver and the basic Certified level. CWRU's policy is to achieve a minimum of Silver certification but to strive for Gold. LEED certified buildings use less energy, send less waste to the landfill during construction and occupancy, have healthy indoor air quality and use a high percentage of products or resources from within a few hundred miles. Learn more about the USGBC, the local branch, Northeast Ohio Chapter of the USGBC and LEED certification.

Students interested in the green building industry should consider getting certified as a LEED Green Associate.

LEED Certified Projects at CWRU:

The Village at 115th - LEED Gold & Silver
Our first green building achievement was the design and construction of The Village at 115. This student residential housing complex holds LEED Gold and Silver certifications and doubles as a sustainable storm water solution. Beneath the Village buildings and the campus football field is a man-made sand plot, which allows storm water collected from the roof of The Village to be sustainably absorbed back into the Earth at a rate that is healthy for the land. Additionally, The Village has innovative lighting, window, heating, and cooling solutions, that allow the building to be incredibly efficient.

Tomlinson Hall - LEED Silver

Tinkham Veale University Center - LEED Gold

Wyant Athletic and Wellness Center - LEED Silver

Stephanie Tubbs Jones Residence Hall - LEED Gold 

Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences - LEED Interior Silver

Linsalata Alumni Center - LEED Gold

Health Education Campus - LEED Gold

Dental Clinic - LEED Silver 

Maltz Performing Arts Center (Phase 2) - Gold

Fribley Commons - Silver 

Projects in Design, Construction or Review to achieve LEED Certification:

Sears think[box] - projecting Silver