Gutman Renovation Certified LEED Platinum

The Harvard Graduate School of Education’s 2012 renovation of Gutman Library’s first and second floor was recently recognized by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), receiving LEED Platinum certification.

“The LEED Platinum certification of the Gutman Library is a great honor and further signifies HGSE's commitment toward sustainability,” says Director of Operations Jason Carlson, pointing out that this is HGSE’s second platinum project and fourth acknowledged by USGBC. “HGSE presently leads the university in number of certified projects per square foot.”

LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) certification is an internationally recognized industry standard for green building. Developed by USGBC, LEED provides building owners and operators a framework for identifying and implementing green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions. The LEED for Commercial Interiors rating system focuses on interior improvements of new or existing space.

The intent of the approximately 36,000-square-foot first and second floor renovation of Gutman Library was to create a campus center to serve as a natural hub and campus gathering space for HGSE faculty, staff, and students. As the second platinum, and fourth overall LEED certification for HGSE, this project is a testament to the school’s commitment to sustainability and the ability of the project team to incorporate that commitment into this large renovation.

“HGSE is committed to being sustainable and reducing our footprint,” Carlson says. “Through 2012 we have reduced the GHG footprint of our main campus by 14 percent off of the 2006 baseline.”

Highlights of the Gutman Library renovation include:

• 96 percent of the total percentage of construction waste was diverted from landfill.

• 36 percent reduction in annual water use (13,950 gallons/year) when compared to EPAct 1992 baseline standard.

• Commercial kitchens, such as the one associated with The Commons at Gutman Library are typically associated with energy intensive equipment; however, the project team incorporated many energy efficient design elements into the project, such as the capture and reuse of waste heat from the refrigeration equipment to pre‐heat the air supplied to the space.