The Gates Center for Computer Science and the Hillman Center for Future-Generation Technologies have been awarded LEED® certification at the Gold level established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute.

From the PR Newswire:
The buildings enclose 217,000 square feet of classrooms, offices and laboratories and serve as a crossroads for the campus, with five main entrances on three levels and two major pedestrian bridges.

The project more than doubled the amount of green space that existed on the 5.6-acre site, which previously included parking lots and several buildings. All surface parking was replaced with an underground garage and the new buildings have five green roofs and a winter garden.

The buildings include systems for collecting about half a million gallons of rainwater and snowmelt each year. The use of this gray water for flushing toilets, combined with the installation of low-flow lavatories and low-flush urinals, cut potable water use in half.

The ventilation system uses rotary heat exchangers called enthalpy wheels to limit energy loss. Occupancy sensors help control lighting and office temperatures throughout the buildings.