Pitt Johnstown’s John P. Murtha Center Receives LEED Certification
Pitt Johnstown’s John P. Murtha Center for Public Service received its LEED Certification.
The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s John P. Murtha Center for Public Service and National Competitiveness received its LEED Certification, becoming only the second LEED-certified building on the Pitt Johnstown campus.
“We are honored to receive this recognition for our efforts to maintain an environmentally-friendly campus. Our faculty, students, and staff have a long-standing commitment to sustainability in a campus that spans over 650 acres of the natural environment and beautiful vistas,” said Pitt Johnstown President Jem Spectar.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system is the most widely used green building rating system in the world, providing third-party validation of a building’s green design, construction, operations, and maintenance. Available for multiple types of buildings and communities, the LEED framework assists in the creation of healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement.
The 7,400 square foot building include:
- Takes advantage of daylight to light the building and to mitigate conditions of prevailing winter winds.
- High performance insulation, increasing energy efficiency.
- Reduces its heat island effect with a highly reflective roof.
- Reduces light pollution by reducing the amount of light emitted through the building envelope during nighttime hours.
- Native plants eliminate the need for irrigation, while also aiding in stormwater management.
- Sustainable materials used in both the exterior and interior of the building promote the reduction of raw material use and improve indoor environmental quality.
- Tracked construction waste, recycled and regional material content of materials, and VOC levels of construction materials.
Pitt Johnstown’s other LEED building is the campus Nursing and Health Sciences Building, which received LEED Gold in 2015, becoming only the second LEED Gold building in Johnstown at the time.