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The newest building on the Central College campus has officially been awarded the highest possible rating for its incorporation of environmentally-friendly design. The education, psychology and communication studies building was awarded a platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating from the United States Green Building Council, and joins the Vermeer Science Center and Howard McKee Hall as the third structure at Central College to receive a LEED rating.

“We feel it is a big accomplishment, and it’s a very team-oriented goal,” said Mike Lubberden, Director of Facilities Planning and Management at Central College. “There’s not a single architect or engineer or entity that can say ‘I achieved this LEED rating for Central College.’ It’s definitely an integrated approach that involves everyone.”

The building includes many sustainable features, including a vegetative roof, natural ventilation and daylight harvesting systems, and captures rain water which is re-used for flushing low-flow toilets. Additionally, many materials used to build the structure were recycled materials from previous buildings on the campus that had been torn down.

To earn a Platinum rating, the building had to earn 53 out of 69 possible credits for incorporating environmentally friendly building design and construction practices. The Education, Psychology and Communication Studies Building earned 55 credits. It is Central College’s first Platinum-rated LEED building and just the third building in the state to achieve Platinum status.