PSU dormitory achieves gold-level LEED certification

Plymouth, NH - Langdon Woods, a new Plymouth State University dormitory has earned a gold-level certification from the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership-Energy-Environmental Design program, a nationally recognized benchmark for energy-efficient buildings. The dormitory is New Hampshire’s first to earn that certification.

The dorm features environmentally friendly and energy efficient features such as sensors to turn the heat off when a window is opened, low-flow faucets and selectable-flush toilets. The dorm has recycling rooms on each of its five floors and was constructed with 10 percent recycled materials. In addition, 20 percent of the building materials came from local places such as DCI Furniture, a company in Lisbon who made the wooden furniture.

The energy conservation measures save Plymouth State about $230,000 each year in utilities, said William Crangle, Plymouth State’s vice president for financial affairs. The building uses 1.4 million gallons less water, a 36 percent reduction, than it would without the conservation features, which also include flushless urinals in men’s bathrooms. Since students first moved in in September, the building has used the equivalent of just four days of heating fuel, thanks to steam heat converted from the energy previously wasted by a school generator.

The 114,000-square-foot dormitory can house up to 347 students on its five floors. Construction of the building, which takes its name from the Langdon Park section of campus where it’s situated, began in August 2004 and cost about $29 million.

Steven Reno, chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire, said other state universities will also look at energy-efficient buildings from now on. He said a new dormitory at Keene State College may include many conservation features, and he hopes Langdon Woods will spur students and schools to incorporate more environmentally friendly measures.

Langdon Woods meets the following SmartGrowth Principles:

Principle #2 - Foster the traditional character of New Hampshire
Principle #5 - Provide choices and safety in transportation
Principle #6 - Protect environmental quality

More …

• "Dorm has built-in eco-sensitivity" (Concord Monitor article)
• "Plymouth State University Goes Green With New Dorm" (NHPR news item)
• "PSU Residence Hall is First in NH to Strike LEED Gold: Langdon Woods Helps Establish University as Environmental Sustainability Leader" (PSU Office of Public Relations)

 Adobe Acrobat Reader format. You can download a free reader from Adobe.