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Simmons College Receives Gold LEED Certification for New Green Building

One of Only Three Academic Institutions in Boston to Get Gold Level Rating

BOSTON (April 30, 2009) — Simmons College received Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its School of Management and Academic Building. The building, which opened in January, is Simmons's first structure built in accordance with the rigorous standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

Gold certification is the second-highest level of LEED certification. According to the U.S. Green Building Council website, only two other academic institutions in Boston — Harvard Business School and Suffolk University — have Gold-certified buildings.

"I am extremely pleased that our newest green building has received Gold certification and recognition by the U.S. Green Building Council," said Simmons College President Helen Drinan. "This has been an exciting few months for Simmons and for our School of Management, which recently received accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and which this year celebrates the 30th anniversary of its Leadership Conference."

The five-story, 66,500-square-foot School of Management and Academic Building houses the Simmons School of Management, formerly located on Commonwealth Avenue, and marks the first time in the college's history that all five of its graduate schools are located on one campus at 300 The Fenway. The building includes four state-of-the-art general-use classrooms, four School of Management-specific classrooms, an executive education conference room, and a "green" landscaped roof plaza.

From the use of sustainable and recyclable building materials, to highly efficient heating, cooling, and ventilation systems and water fixtures, the new building is as environmentally responsible as it is eye-catching. The building is expected to use 34% less water and 38% less energy than similar buildings of the same size. Simmons partnered with general contractor Lee Kennedy Co., Inc. and architects Cannon Design on the project, which began in 2006.

Simmons College is a nationally recognized private university located in the heart of Boston. It offers undergraduate education for women, and renowned coeducational graduate programs in health sciences, education, liberal arts, social work, library and information science, and communications management, as well as the nation's first MBA program designed specifically for women.