Recent University of Pennsylvania Projects Receive LEED Certifications
The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently announced that three of its recent construction projects have earned LEED certifications, according to university news. The Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology (VLEST) received a LEED Platinum certification, Amy Gutmann Hall a LEED Gold, and the OTT Center for Track and Field a LEED silver. The university now has a total of 55 LEED-certified projects on campus.
According to the news release, VLEST is a collaboration among the School of Engineering and Applied Science and School of Arts & Sciences that also plays home to the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER). The facility’s façade uses solar, geometric sunshades to reduce the building’s energy use and maximize daylight within the building.
Amy Gutmann Hall is a cross-disciplinary hub for collaboration among the university’s 12 schools. The building was made of mass timber and features a 12,000-square-foot green roof, high-performance building envelope, windows and skylights, low-flow plumbing, and energy-efficient systems, the news release reports.
The Ott Center for Track and Field, completed in fall 2024, earned credit for both its construction and demolition waste management and its heat island and light pollution reduction. The university planted 64 trees on the site in connection with its Ecological Landscape Stewardship Plan to support the city’s tree canopy goals, the news release reports.
“These LEED certifications reflect Penn’s commitment to sustainable building design,” said university architect Mark Kocent. “Each project is designed with energy efficiency, ecological integration, and occupant wellness at its core, a reflection of Penn’s In Principle and Practice directive to lead on the great challenges of our time, including climate.”
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Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].