Ernie Davis Hall was awarded with the LEED Gold certification plaque Monday. It was the first time any Syracuse University building has received recognition by the U.S. Green Building Council.

LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, according to an Oct. 5 SU News release.

Ernie Davis Hall, which first opened in 2009, received the second-highest possible LEED award and is the first green building on SU’s campus, said Eric Beattie, director of the Office of Campus Planning, Design and Construction at SU.

‘We realized that a residence hall needs to be more than a place just to sleep and hang your hat,’ Beattie said at the ceremony in Ernie Davis’ private dining room.

The green characteristics of the building include a fresh air ventilation system, innovative storm water management, the use of day and natural light and the overall uses of materials that are kind to the planet, Beattie said.

The goal of the hall, Beattie said, is to promote an overall healthy lifestyle.

Facilities such as a state-of-the-art gym, the largest dining hall on campus that provides healthy eating and a convenience center that contains all natural and organic foods are Ernie Davis’ award-winning qualities, Beattie said.

The building of Ernie Davis offered insight to the university on how to become a completely green university, Beattie said. He also said he believes the university can reach this goal by starting to think of the ‘community, the campus and the entire precincts’ where the opportunities for becoming green are stronger.

‘This building helps us advance our goals toward becoming a carbon neutral campus by 2040,’ Beattie said. ‘This building is one step of many that we really have to take to reach our goal.’

Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric Spina, who was present at the award ceremony, called Ernie Davis a ‘remarkable building’ that betters the SU community, specifically its students.

Spina added that the construction of Ernie Davis sets a ‘beacon’ that everyone in the surrounding region will look toward.

Assemblyman Sam Roberts of New York, also in attendance, commented on the importance of naming the building after Ernie Davis.

Roberts, who attended SU football games as a kid at Archbold Stadium and watched Ernie Davis play, said it wasn’t until he was older that he realized Davis’ leadership and his accomplishments.

Roberts mentioned that his brother worked at one of the dining halls at SU when Davis attended and would tell Roberts that Davis ate the most out of anyone he ever saw.

SU has projected that buildings such as the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, Green Data Center, Bowne Hall and Lawrinson Hall will achieve varying levels of LEED certification, according to the SU News release.

Rick Fedrizzi, founder, CEO and president of the U.S. Green Building Council, made the final comments at the ceremony in which he commended the leadership at SU.

Said Fedrizzi: ‘Ernie Davis Hall is transforming the world, and it is a beautiful thing to see.’

mhnewman@syr.edu

Published on October 10, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Meredith: mhnewman@syr.edu | @MerNewman93