Furman University's Cliffs Cottage Awarded LEED Gold Certification
April 29, 2010
GREENVILLE, SC – April 29, 2010 – Furman University’s Cliffs Cottage has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for achievement in green homebuilding and design.
Built on the Furman campus in 2008, Cliffs Cottage was Southern Living magazine’s first “green” Showcase Home. From its bamboo flooring and insulated windows to the solar panels in the roof, the 3,400-square-foot cottage has served as a model of how to design and build an energy-saving house using environmentally responsible techniques and materials.
Thousands of visitors toured the home when it was open to the public. The Cliffs Cottage has since been remodeled and now houses the university’s David E. Shi Center for Sustainability.
The Cliffs Cottage is the third building on campus to earn a LEED certification. Herman N. Hipp Hall and the James B. Duke Library also received a Gold rating, and Hipp Hall was the first building in South Carolina to earn a LEED certification.
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification program rewards structures designed and built to be energy- and resource-efficient and more healthy and durable for the occupants. To become LEED-certified, a structure is put through a technically rigorous process that often includes an energy rating and onsite inspections to verify it’s built to be energy- and water-efficient, environmentally sound, and a healthier place to live.
“As a LEED-certified home, Cliffs Cottage serves as a model of greener living for the entire community,” said Nate Kredich, vice president of residential market development for the USGBC. “The home sets the example that we can all live better by reducing our environmental footprint, cutting our utility bills, and coming home to a greener place to live.”
Points are awarded to projects in eight categories of environmental performance: innovation & design process, location & linkages, sustainable sites, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources, and awareness & education. To date, more than 5,000 homes have achieved certification with the LEED for Homes program, and over 20,000 have registered and are in process.
The USGBC is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Since USGBC’s founding in 1993, USGBC has grown to more than 18,000 member companies and organizations and a comprehensive suite of LEED green building certification systems.
Membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations all sharing USGBC commitment to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.
For more information, go to www.usgbc.org or call the Furman News and Media Relations Office at 864-294-3107.
