By Betsy Farrell Garcia Extending the applied research in housing access and affordability conducted by faculty and students at Auburn University Rural Studio, the faculty-led Front Porch Initiative works with not-for-profit builder partners across the southeast offering housing products and technical assistance to build houses to beyond-code standards. As of…
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system used for green buildings and is overseen by the United States Green Building Council. LEED certification provides third-party verification that human health, environmental responsibility, and other performance goals of building projects have been achieved. LEED certified buildings make a…
By Randy Martin, Office of Sustainability The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released its latest report assessing the current status and trends of climate change, future risks and the long- and near-term responses. This report contained a sentence that has stuck with me since I first read it: …
“We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.” Winston Churchill The M. Miller Gorrie Center received LEED certification in 2008. Photo credit: Jen Morse. Modern humans in modern surroundings spend almost all of their time indoors. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), North Americans, on average, spend…
by Becki Retzlaff When I arrived on campus at Auburn 16 years ago, the campus green space and the location of what is now the Harold Melton Student Center was a giant parking lot. Since then, other former parking lots have also been transformed into beloved buildings and green spaces…