Stuart Hall, the Foxcroft School dormitory that opened this fall, has achieved Gold Certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program for new construction, Head of School Mary Louise Leipheimer announced recently.

The gold designation, the second highest among four levels possible, is an impressive indication of the building's sustainability and the School's commitment to the environment. Stuart Hall earned 60 out of 110 possible credits in six "green" categories. It excelled especially in water efficiency (ranking in the top 14% among LEED projects in the U.S.) and energy (top 16% in Virginia).

Other especially strong areas were indoor environmental quality and innovation in design, which includes an educational component that earned high marks because of the significant involvement of Foxcroft students.

In announcing the certification, Leipheimer pointed out some impressive achievements in specific areas such as the use of geothermal wells and an environmental-friendly building envelope to saver energy and protect the atmosphere. But she was most excited about the impact students had on obtaining the lofty certification level.

"Because of you," she told the students, "we exceeded our hope of earning a silver certification and we got the gold!"

Student involvement started with the first visioning meetings for the project and included student-based programs to develop a new green logo for Foxcroft, create signage for the building, and design an interactive energy "dashboard" for the dorm that addresses environmental issues from recycling on campus to water use in Stuart Hall.

The most innovative program, however, was a monthly student seminar called Project GreenBuild. Created by the project's general contractor Forrester Construction and architects Hord Coplan Macht, the program included lectures, hands-on activities, and a construction site tour that examined another aspect of building and design each month. Topics, which were organized to coincide with the progress of the building itself, ranged from the design process, sustainability, and project management to foundation techniques, building envelope, electrical and plumbing systems, and finishes. Activities included everything from making cement and building structures out of Legos, to using designing buildings using front-line software.

Other achievements that Leipheimer highlighted from the U.S. Green Building Council's report:

Materials & resources: 92.7% of the construction waste was diverted from landfills and 20.7% of the materials used were recycled.

Water efficiency: There was a 44% reduction in use of water.

Indoor Environmental Quality: 96% of occupants have access to lighting controls and 100% of regularly-occupied areas have views to the exterior.

Energy and atmosphere: The building has an energy-efficient envelope, and uses green-friendly lighting, controls, appliances, and a geothermal HVAC system.

Sustainable Site: There is plentiful open space, bicycle storage, and low-emitting vehicles parking. Storm water design is green-friendly.

In the United States and other countries around the world, LEED certification is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. It is currently certifying about 1.5 million square feet of building space each day in 135 countries. The LEED rating system is designed to promote design and construction practices that increase profitability while reducing the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improving occupant health and well-being. Today, more than 54,000 projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising more than 10.1 billion square feet of construction space.

The LEED rating system offers four certification levels for new construction -- Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum -- that correspond to the number of credits accrued in six green design categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design.