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A green roof, a geothermal heating and cooling system that is 300 percent more efficient than standard systems, and a 15,000-gallon gray tank that recycles rainwater for irrigation and flushing bathroom fixtures. These are just a few of the sustainability features that helped ������’s Center for Architecture and Environmental Design receive LEED Platinum recognition.

Platinum is the highest ranking for the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) system, which is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. The Center for Architecture and Environmental Design is Kent State’s first LEED Platinum building. In addition, Kent State is the first public university in Ohio to receive the LEED Platinum designation for a building.

The 107,000-square-foot building opened in August 2016 and houses academic programs in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design. Other sustainability measures in the new facility include 25,000 square feet of radiant flooring, high energy-efficiency LED lighting and a rooftop with sedum planted on half of it.

Mark Mistur, dean of Kent State’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, says the building, designed by the WEISS/MANFREDI architecture team, upholds the principles of design that the college espouses.

“Those principles include a commitment to the human experience, environmental responsibility and design that supports collaborative engagement and learning,” Dean Mistur says. “Educating the next generation of progressive designers and builders of compelling sustainable environments benefits enormously from a home that models the same.”

Earlier this year, another new Kent State facility, the Center for the Visual Arts, for its design and construction. Melanie Knowles, sustainability manager at Kent State, says these two additions bring to 13 the number of LEED-certified buildings throughout the Kent State system.

“Constructing 13 LEED buildings since 2012 demonstrates Kent State’s continuing commitment to healthy, efficient learning environments,” Ms. Knowles says. “In addition, the College of Architecture and Environmental Design’s cutting-edge LEED Platinum building provides the perfect context for students of architecture, design and construction.”

To learn more about Kent State’s other LEED-certified buildings, visit .

For more information about Kent State’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, visit .