Sustainable Buildings

Green, Resilient & Efficient Infrastructure

Both the University and the State of Maryland are making significant strides in green building construction and renovation.

Through updates to existing infrastructure and newly built green buildings, the campus conserves energy, reduces the use of raw materials, and saves costs. Our campus community can be inspired and protected from indoor environmental issues when they live, work, and learn in efficient and sustainable buildings.

green buildings built to LEED Silver or higher

100%

carbon neutral new development on campus

2.08

million square feet of green building area

SustainableUMD Data Dashboard: Smart Growth TerpFootprints Dashboard

Campus Commitments

Supporting sustainable buildings, infrastructure, and community on campus

Carbon Neutral New Development: Since the President's Energy Initiatives were announced in 2014, all new development at UMD is carbon neutral. New buildings, major renovations, and space use changes at UMD all must incorporate strong energy conservation measures and offset any carbon emissions. The Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering is the first major new construction project that is fully carbon neutral throughout its operational lifetime.
Building a Sustainable Future: Locally, UMD and partners in government and business are guiding urban planning with a deep commitment to “smart growth” practices that help our broader community design more sustainable buildings, streets, and neighborhoods. “Smart growth” covers a range of development and conservation strategies that help protect our health and natural environment and make our communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse” (US EPA).
High Performance Buildings: The University of Maryland has set a goal that all new construction and major renovations will be high-performance buildings. To comply with Maryland's High Performance Green Building Program, UMD building projects must achieve 15% better energy efficiency than the current energy code.

Green Building Standards

Iribe downsized — The Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Innovation includes an expansive green space along Baltimore Avenue

Design Criteria/Facilities Standards (DCFS)

Sustainability is an important part of university standards and design guidelines for new construction and building renovations- setting requirements on operations and maintenance, energy efficiency, and materials. To ensure the University’s building and infrastructure are designed in compliance with the University’s green building commitment and the High Performance Buildings Act, the standards address environmental stewardship and LEED design criteria. UMD Facilities Management (FM) plays a defining role in the design and construction of campus buildings. Site sustainability, energy, water conservation, indoor environmental quality, and materials are the key areas that FM evaluates for new construction to ensure environmental sustainability.

SPP2 — The School of Public Policy building supports the school’s mission to advance the public good by drawing together students, faculty and other experts to foster world-changing policy discourse and action

Maryland's High-Performance Green Building Program (HPGBP)

The Maryland Green Building Council established the HPGBP, to guide Maryland state agencies and local educational agencies in the programing, design, and construction of facilities. A High Performance Building is one which achieves either a Silver rating or better under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, a two Green Globes rating or better under the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes rating system, or which complies with the Maryland Green Building Council’s supplement to the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) enacted in November 2014.

Campus Green Buildings

Click through the slideshow below to learn more about sustainability features of green buildings on campus. Explore the campus map to see renewables energy generation locations, green roofs, and LEED certified buildings at UMD.

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Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering

The state-of-the-art Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering opened in 2019. The Iribe Center is a hub for technology at the heart of a new innovation district, among high-tech companies, government agencies, and institutional colleagues. The Iribe Center will support groundbreaking research and education in virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, computer vision, machine learning, data science, and more. Six floors of specialized labs, classrooms, auditoriums, offices and a fully-equipped maker space offer unprecedented opportunities for students and faculty to innovate. Within the context of the university, the site connects the interior of the campus with the neighboring community and natural environment. Through manipulation of paths, grades, alignments, and paving materials the design facilitates the movements of students coming from off-campus on foot and bicycle, as well as improves the circulation of the engineering district of campus. Careful work was done to preserve stands of existing mature trees.

A. James Clark Hall

An iconic LEED gold building, Clark Hall supports the Clark School of Engineering’s rapidly growing programs while bringing together disciplines under one roof. During construction, over 90% of construction waste was diverted from a landfill. The site also features an increased amount of pervious surface, allowing more rain water to soak in and reducing run-off than previously. Potable water use has been reduced by 53% for irrigation and 39% for domestic use. The building has also reduced energy costs by 26.5% compared to baseline building energy use.

HJ Patterson Hall (Wing 1)

Wing 1 of HJ Patterson Hall, which includes units from the Office of International Affairs and College of Arts and Humanities is LEED Silver certified. Over 75% of waste generated during construction was recycled or salvaged, keeping these materials out of the landfill. The use of LED fixtures has reduced lighting power demand by 45%. In addition, high efficiency heating and cooling systems use nearly 20% less power than traditional systems. Water saving measures include low flow toilets which use 20% less water per flush than standard toilets and automatic low-flow faucets that turn off when not in use.

Prince Frederick Hall

Prince Frederick Hall is a LEED Gold certified building that opened in fall 2014. Housing nearly 500 students, it has lower operating costs made possible by high efficiency fixtures that reduce water consumption 43% compared to a baseline, smart control systems for heating and cooling, and a white reflective roof that reduces energy use. The site also features over 44,500 square feet of open space for stormwater management and recreation.

Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center

The Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center is a LEED Gold certified building. During the construction phase, over 75% of waste was recycled or salvaged. Green features include energy and water savings, using 27% less energy used than a typical classroom building and 40% less water used than a traditional building. The building has two green roofs and composting available throughout the building.

South Campus Commons 7

In January 2010, the university opened the doors to its first LEED Gold Certified student housing facility. Building 7 of South Campus Commons was constructed through a Public-Private Partnership between the University and Capstone Development Corp. Building 7 differs from a conventional residence hall in many ways, but one of the most profound is in the area of energy consumption. High-efficiency heat pumps and Energy Star appliances in each residential unit (washers/dryers, ovens/stove tops, and dishwashers) optimize energy performance. The building also includes energy efficient windows and a white roof to reduce heat gain in the summer.

Knight Hall

Knight Hall, the home of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, opened its doors in the winter of 2010. Certified as LEED Gold, Knight Hall features 53,400 square feet of high-tech classrooms, multimedia labs, offices, and spaces for professional journalism centers. During the construction phase, 97% of construction waste was recycled, 31% of building materials were obtained from regional and local suppliers, and 34% of the building materials were from recycled sources. Reduced solar heat and glare are achieved through shading devices and specialty glass. 86% of regularly occupied spaces receive natural daylight, reducing lighting demand. Water for landscaping is conserved through use of a 10,000-gallon rainwater harvesting cistern.

Oakland Hall

Oakland Hall opened in the fall of 2011 as the campus’s second LEED Gold Certified residential facility. This nine story building houses more than 700 students in the North Campus Community, making it the largest residential facility on campus. Oakland Hall’s green features include recycled construction materials, Energy STAR appliances, solar reflective roof to reduce urban heat island effect, water efficient landscaping, dual-flow toilets and low-flow showerheads, and energy efficient lights and lighting control system.

Physical Sciences Complex

The Physical Sciences Complex (PSC) opened in spring 2014 and earned LEED Gold Certification. This Complex includes a remarkable array of high-tech laboratories with equipment unsurpassed by any university facility in the country. The construction phase of the complex utilized low emission construction materials with 20% of materials containing recycled content. Water efficiency is achieved through landscaping strategies that reduce potable water consumption by 50% and using groundwater for non-potable fixtures to reduce potable water consumption. The complex also features lighting control systems to reduce energy consumption when the building is unoccupied or when the ambient lighting levels are exceeded and an under floor ventilation system to increase the efficiency of the heating and cooling system. An extensive green roof also aids in stormwater management.

University House

The University House, a 14,000 square foot facility located on the west side of the University of Maryland's College Park campus, achieved LEED Gold status. Green features of this building include a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar water heating, low energy lighting system, energy smart machine room-less elevator, and significant use of recycled material.

Pocomoke Building

Originally constructed in 1946 and updated in 2013, the Pocomoke Building is a LEED Gold Certified building along Route 1. Sustainable features of the renovation that contributed to the achievement of Gold certification include water efficiency, building reuse, and use of recycled content and local materials in construction. The building reduced water use by 41% and achieved building reuse at 81% after diverting 84% of construction waste.

Chincoteague Hall

Chincoteague Hall is the first LEED Gold Certified Renovation project at UMD. The renovation process of the 22,648 square foot building managed to divert 92% of construction waste away from landfills and use 10% recycled materials. Green renovations of this building include a new plumbing system that conserves water and minimizes waste, automated motion sensor lighting, and fitted windows and doors to guarantee energy efficiency.

Wye Oak Building

Completed in January 2014, the Wye Oak Building houses units of the Building Landscape Services Department. The 12,774 square foot building was certified LEED Silver in July 2015, and awarded three Green Globes from the Green Building Initiative. Green building features include the capture and treatment of over 90% of stormwater, reflective cooling roof to reduce urban heat island effect, water use reduction of 36% compared to a baseline, and 23.2% energy efficiency increase. Over 90% of on-site generated construction waste was diverted from the landfill during this project and and recycled or locally source building materials were utilized.

School of Public Policy's Thurgood Marshall Hall

Thurgood Marshall Hall earned LEED Gold Status in March 2023. The School of Public Health's new home is situated adjacent to the Purple Line, connecting communities throughout Prince George's and Montgomery counties, and Washington, DC. with public transportation access. The site uses water efficient landscaping and stormwater design to conserve water and improve runoff quality. A white roof decreases heat island effect and contributes to increased energy efficiency.

Yahentamitsi Dining Hall

Yahentamitisi is a LEED-certified building that prioritizes plant-based and local food sourcing when possible. The new building also features floor-to-ceiling glass and hyper-efficient dishwashing and refrigeration technology. Sensitive land protection was accounted for in the Hall's design, and enhanced indoor air quality (IAQ) strategies were implemented to support the health and well-being of students.

Pyon-Chen Hall

Like Johnson-Whittle Hall, Pyon Chen is one of the newest LEED Silver certified residential halls on campus. Designed with energy efficiency in mind, the halls have floor-to-ceiling windows at every corner to maximize natural light and student comfort. The building features accomplished energy efficient design, advanced energy metering, and water-efficient practices both indoor and outdoor.

Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex

The development of the new Field Hockey and Lacrosse facility was constructed with low-emitting materials which reduce the concentrations of chemical contaminants that may harm human health and surrounding ecological systems. The site features light paving and high-reflectance roofing material to reduce heat island effects that may be created through heat absorption and radiation. The interior also supports various energy reduction strategies, including building-level metering, contributing to 35% in total savings. It

Additional Green Buildings

UMD has 17 buildings certified at LEED Silver or Gold, one building certified by the Maryland Green Building Council, and three uncertified buildings built to LEED Silver standards. Within the next three years, UMD plans to open three new carbon neutral buildings built to LEED Silver standards at minimum. Explore the following list for more green buildings at UMD:
- Sigma Delta Tau Sorority House (Certified with Delta Phi Ep)
- Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority House (Certified with Sigma Delta Tau)
- Alpha Phi Sorority House (LEED Silver)
- Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority House (LEED Silver)
- Denton Dining Hall Renovation (LEED Silver)
- Shuttle-UM Building
- Cole Fieldhouse (pending)
- Chemistry Wing 1 Replacement (Pending)

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