Green Buildings to Envy

Stanford designs, constructs, and operates high-performance campus buildings. Accolades for design and operation abound, including LEED Platinum certifications for both new construction and existing building projects on campus. Explore our building portfolio and their innovative approaches to resource efficiency and conservation:

Leslie Shao-ming Sun Field Station at Jasper Ridge (2002)

The Leslie Shao-ming Sun Field Station at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve provides a natural laboratory for researchers and educational experiences for students. Sustainable elements include:

• A 22-kilowatt, grid-connected photovoltaic system;
• A sophisticated energy monitoring system;
• Waterless urinals, dual-flush toilets and tankless water heaters;
• Salvaged materials used for siding, brick paving, casework, furniture and bathroom partitions.

The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment named Jasper Ridge Field Station one of its Top Ten Green Projects in 2005.

Carnegie Institution’s Global Ecology Research Center (2004)

The Carnegie Institution’s Global Ecology Research Center is a low-energy laboratory and office building that emits 72% less carbon and uses 33% less water than a comparable standard building

The center features an evaporative downdraft cooling tower, an exterior made from salvaged wine-cask redwood, no-irrigation landscaping, dual-flush toilets and low-flow faucets. The design also furthers academic work: a “night sky” radiant cooling system demonstrates the principles of radiant heat loss to deep space–principles that the center’s researchers are investigating.

The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment named the Global Ecology Research Center one of its Top Ten Green Projects in 2007.

Yang & Yamazaki Environment & Energy Building (2008)

The Jerry Yang & Akiko Yamazaki Environment + Energy Building (Y2E2) houses cross-disciplinary teams and programs with teaching and research focused on sustainability. Y2E2 is a learning tool for building occupants and the campus community, recently earning a LEED-EBOM Platinum certification, the highest rating awarded by the United States Green Building Council, exceeding the 80-point threshold required for the Platinum rating.

Significant sustainability features of the 166,000 square-foot building include:

• A high-performance envelope (roof, walls, windows, sunshades and light shelves) to reduce heating and cooling loads;
• Natural ventilation via internal atria, windows, and vents with efficient active beams for mechanical cooling when needed;
• Three solar photovoltaic demonstration installations to offset energy use;
• Water conservation systems, including waterless urinals and dual-flush toilets. Recycled water from Stanford’s Central Energy Facility is used in toilets, urinals, and for some lab processes;
• Extensive use of recycled materials and sustainable products, such as bamboo. Exposed concrete floors significantly reduced carpet use and saved tons of raw materials.

Huang Engineering Center (2010)

The School of Engineering’s Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center (HEC) epitomizes high-performance design and construction. Performance models suggest that aggregate energy use, including plug loads, will be 42% less than that of standard buildings. HEC features

• Enhanced building envelope with high-performance windows,
• Makes extensive use of daylight and photocell technology,
• Employs natural ventilation and active chilled beams,
• Includes rapidly renewable materials in architectural woodwork and furniture,
• Uses the university’s recycled water system to flush toilets and urinals.

A 30kW DC solar photovoltaic installation will meet some of the building’s electricity demand. To complete the HEC auditorium, 316 seats were salvaged from the demolition of Kresge Auditorium.

Spilker Engineering and Applied Science (2010)

The 104,000-GSF Spilker Engineering and Applied Science supports interdisciplinary programs including research at the atomic scale for new drugs, innovative designs for new semiconductors, improved communications networks, and improved water purification methods. Spilker Engineering was designed with many of the same features as Y2E2 and HEC and shares their ambitious energy and water goals. Key sustainability features include:

• A high-performance envelope (roof, walls, windows, sunshades, and light shelves) that reduces heating and cooling loads;
• Extensive use of daylight and photocell technology;
• Rapidly renewable materials in architectural woodwork and furniture;
• Use of the university’s recycled water system to flush toilets and urinals;
• A 30-kW DC solar PV installation to reduce electricity demand.

Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (2010)

The Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (Nano) houses the Edward L. Ginzton independent laboratory and the offices of the Department of Applied Physics. Research activities in the Nano Center span from photonics and quantum engineering to single-molecule biophysics. User facilities within the building feature some of the most advanced nanoscale patterning and characterization equipment available, largely in underground installations to provide stringent control of vibration, light, and cleanliness essential for nanoscale research.

Performance models suggest aggregate energy use in Nano, including plug loads, remains 37% less than standard buildings. Nano makes use of day-lighting and photocell technology, employs a combination of natural ventilation and active chilled beams, and uses the university’s recycled-water system to flush toilets and urinals. In addition, a 30kW DC solar photovoltaic installation will meet some of the building’s electricity demand.

Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building (2010)

The Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building (SIM1), a 200,000-GSF School of Medicine building, has a basement vivarium and three above-grade floors with research labs and support facilities. Stanford established targets comparable to a LEED-NC Silver rating for the project. Significant sustainability features include:

• Segregated laboratory and other occupancy types to increase HVAC operating efficiency;
• Sloped ceilings in labs for increased daylighting and solar photo cells for lighting control;
• Reusable animal cages throughout the vivarium, eliminating cage wash equipment and avoiding the use of approximately 9 million gallons of water annually;
• Elimination of relative humidity controls from air-handling equipment and the vivarium rooms due to the local climate.

Fully occupied in Fall 2010, SIM1 became the nation’s largest center dedicated to stem cell research. An example of high-performance building in the face of highly technical programmatic requirements, SIM1 serves as a national model for laboratory design and construction.

Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge (2010)

The Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge (LKSC), a 118,000-GSF School of Medicine building, includes medical simulation and virtual reality environments to advance teaching, learning, and knowledge management. Four above-grade floors house a conference center, classrooms, and study areas. The basement features the Center for Immersive and Simulation Based Learning.

Prominent sustainability features include:

• Recycled water for flushing toilets and urinals;
• High-performance glazing, sun shades, and a reflective roofing surface;
• HVAC system with chilled beams and displacement ventilation;
• Diversion of 95 percent of construction and demolition debris from landfill.

Knight Management Center (2011)

The Knight Management Center (KMC), an eight-building, 360,000 square-foot complex for the Graduate School of Business, earned a LEED-NC Platinum® rating from the U.S. Green Building Council – the organization’s highest certification level. The project far exceeded the 52-point threshold for Platinum.

The building contains a variety of energy efficiency features, including:

• Rooftop PV panels that generate 12.5 percent of KMC’s electricity needs;
• Extensive use of natural daylight and automatic light sensors to reduce artificial lighting when not necessary;
• Rainwater capture, storage, and reuse for onsite irrigation;
• Chilled beams and night flushing provide efficient cooling;
• Recycled content in 25 percent of building materials and more than 98 percent of waste from building construction diverted from landfill.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal named Knight Management Center Green Project of the Year in 2010.

William H. Neukom Building (2011)

Openness characterizes the Law School’s William H. Neukom Building. The 65,000-square-foot space features conference rooms, faculty offices, open areas for group work, and the Mills Legal Clinic within four three-story wings connected by dramatic glass-walled pedestrian bridges. Sustainability strategies such as maximized use of natural light, automated control systems, natural ventilation, ceiling fans, high-efficiency glazing, and trellis shading contribute to energy use projected to be 30% less than code. The building’s exterior features rainwater harvesting and native plant species. The Neukom Building, a LEED-NC Gold-equivalent project, exemplifies high-performance design and construction principles now common practice on campus.

Shriram Center for Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering(2014)

The Shriram Center for Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering is a 227,000-GSF building with wet and dry laboratory spaces designed for intensive research, and shared specialty labs available to faculty based in other campus facilities. The building’s energy and water goals match those of the other buildings in SEQ.

Key sustainability features include:

• A high-performance envelope (roof, walls, windows, sunshades, and light shelves) that reduces heating and cooling loads;
• A 125 kW, DC grid-tied solar PV system to reduce electric demand;
• Water conservation systems, including dual-flush toilets, and dual plumbing throughout the building for the use of recycled water;
• Extensive use of recycled materials and sustainable products, such as bamboo and drywall;
• Exposed concrete floors, which significantly reduced carpet use and avoided use of tons of raw materials;
• A variable air volume fume hood system;
• An innovative room-level heating and cooling approach that reduces energy use significantly.