WVU building earns LEED certification, first in W.Va.

West Virginia University is home to the first "double gold" Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified building in the state.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Legacy Management Business Center in WVU's Research Park earned its two LEED certifications this summer.

The LEED certifications are standards used to design buildings to be more sustainable and efficient.

The building received LEED gold certification for both the Core and Shell category and Commercial Interiors category, said Claiborne Williams, principal-in-charge of FD Partners Development, a firm that worked on construction of the building.

The Core and Shell category refers to the building's structure and what kind of features the building has, as well as its mechanical units, such as plumbing and electrical, Williams said.

Commercial Interiors refers to interior materials used and whether they are recyclable, as well as different aspects such as if there is efficient air supply or if water fixtures are low flow, he said.

Originally, the building only had to achieve a LEED silver certification; however, the DOE wanted to do better, Williams said.

"It was partly an internal Department of Energy decision to strive for LEED gold, and we were successful in achieving it," Williams said.

The land is not used by WVU but is leased by the University to the DOE, said Russ Lorince, director of Economic Development at WVU.

"We have a long-standing research relationship with the DOE," Lorince said. "We do a lot of collaborative research in the energy area."

Although they didn't have much input on the design, the University is "very pleased" with the building, Lorince said.

It is "extremely important" to develop sustainable building strategies and goals for projects, Williams said.

"You want to be able to use recyclable materials as much as you can, and you want to have the least amount of impact on your facilities, the least amount of energy consumption," he said.

LEED certification is based on how the building qualifies in six areas: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality as well as innovation and design process.

To be LEED certified, a building must gain 23 to 27 points. Silver certification requires 28 to 33 points, gold certification requires 34 to 44 points and platinum certification requires 45 to 61 points.

FD Partners developed the facility and has maintained ownership of the building with WVU, the DOE and the U.S. General Services Administration. Petroplus Lane was the development consultant, broker and is the current property manager.