Clark Hall-EB

Home to the University of Virginia’s Department of Environmental Sciences and three floors of environmental research labs, Clark Hall served as an unsurprising candidate to lead UVA’s energy conservation efforts by example. Widespread sustainability efforts in Clark Hall, which also houses the Charles L. Brown Science & Engineering Library, have earned the building national honors and recognitions, including a new certification by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, the most widely used green building rating system in the world. The new certification rating system is designed to help building owners assess operations, upgrades and maintenance on a consistent scale, in an effort to maximize efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. On January 18, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the UVA Office for Sustainability hosted a public celebration in recognition of Clark Hall becoming the first UVA building to earn Silver-level certification under the LEED Green Building System for Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance. University leaders and project contributors will gather in Clark Hall to offer presentations on the initiative, which has led to a 67 percent reduction in the building’s energy costs totaling $750,000 in annual savings.