LEED Silver Certification for Trippe Hall at Penn State Behrend
Nov 15, 2018
Trippe Hall, the new residence hall at Penn State Behrend, has earned LEED Silver Certification. The four-story building, which can accommodate 251 students, provides much-needed capacity for on-campus housing. Trippe Hall features primarily double-occupancy rooms. Its wet core design provides sets of private bathrooms rather than traditional community bathrooms. The building includes a community kitchen and living room, and each floor has a community room and study lounges. Trippe Hall opened for the Fall 2018 semester.
KE services: MEPT Design; Energy Modeling
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
LEED version: NC v2009
Building size: 67,500 SF
Project cost: $28.5 million
Energy savings: Projected 43.8% energy consumption savings / 23.2% energy cost savings
Lighting savings: Projected 43.9% energy consumption savings
Water savings: Projected 43.69% water consumption savings
Why it works: The MEP systems balance cost and functionality. Trippe Hall leverages all LED lighting, with occupancy sensors and automated corridor lighting controls for resident-friendly energy savings. The building’s standalone HVAC systems use high-efficiency boilers, while the plumbing system incorporates high efficiency water heaters for domestic hot water and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
About LEED
LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a program of the U.S. Green Building Council that promotes sustainable building design. Through the LEED program, buildings are evaluated on measures such as energy-efficient building systems, water efficiency, sustainable site strategies, and sustainable building materials. A building can be awarded one of four certification levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum (the highest).
Karpinski Engineering’s contributions to a building’s LEED certification typically impact its energy and water use – through efficient electrical, lighting, HVAC, and plumbing design.