The nation\u2019s leading organization for sustainable building practices recently awarded one of its highest ratings to The University of Scranton\u2019s newest\u00a0facility, as the\u00a0U.S. Green Building Council recognized Robert S. \u201968 and Marilyn A. Weiss Hall with LEED Gold certification.<\/p>\n
Opened at the start of the 2025-26 academic year, Weiss Hall is Scranton\u2019s fourth building to achieve LEED certification. The Loyola Science Center is also Gold, while Edward R. Leahy Jr. Hall and the Patrick and Margaret DeNaples Center are Silver.<\/p>\n
According to\u00a0James L. Caffrey, DBA, associate vice president for facilities management,\u00a0Weiss Hall was initially targeted to achieve LEED Silver certification.\u00a0He described the\u00a0Gold\u00a0designation as coming with both \u201ca profound sense of pride and a deep sense of responsibility,\u201d as the University is currently engaged in a seven-year\u00a0process\u00a0to become designated by the Vatican as\u00a0a Laudato Si\u2019 University<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Among the major elements that helped Weiss Hall achieve LEED Gold certification are:<\/p>\n Mass timber construction: Weiss Hall was built using a sustainable wood product that significantly reduces the building\u2019s carbon footprint.Solar power:\u00a0Rooftop solar panels generate clean electricity.Natural light design: Large glass\u00a0windows and walls\u00a0bring more daylight into the building, reducing the need for artificial lighting.Energy-saving climate systems:\u00a0High-efficiency heating, cooling and\u00a0ventilation\u00a0systems automatically adjust temperatures to reduce energy use.Water conservation: Low-flow fixtures reduce lessen demand on municipal water supplies.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEarning the LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council represents a major milestone for The University of Scranton,\u201d Dr. Caffrey said. \u201cIt signifies that Weiss Hall\u00a0exceeds industry standards for sustainable design, energy efficiency, reduced water use and environmentally conscious construction.\u201d<\/p>\n Weiss Hall is a four-story,\u00a0nearly 90,000\u00a0square-foot facility on Madison Avenue. It houses more than 30 offices\/research spaces, 12 study rooms, 11 classrooms, six exam rooms, two large seminar\u00a0rooms\u00a0and two rooftop terraces. It was built to support both institutional and community excellence, serving as the home for the University\u2019s Small Business Development Center<\/a>, the University of Success<\/a>, Student Health Services<\/a> and the Center for Health, Education and Wellness<\/a>, as well as the Departments of Cybercrime and Homeland Security<\/a> and Psychology<\/a>. Weiss Hall also has a first-floor IDEA Center<\/a>, which is equipped with\u00a0cutting-edge\u00a0equipment for production of various means.<\/p>\n LEED certification stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and is recognized worldwide as a marker for achievement and leadership in sustainability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The nation\u2019s leading organization for sustainable building practices recently awarded one of its highest ratings to The University…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273237,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[53,1131,85890,114930,178,180,179,1128,274,114931,5499],"class_list":["post-273236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-construction","tag-environment","tag-laudato-si","tag-leed","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-sustainability","tag-the-university-of-scranton","tag-u-s-green-building-council","tag-weiss-hall"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}