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Washington College of Law

LEED Gold certified

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Sustainability in the Heart of Tenleytown

American University Washington College of Law (WCL) was an opportunity to invest in and shape the future of law, just as the founding mothers saw an opportunity to create a law school that welcomed women into the legal profession 120 years ago. The 8 ½ acre Tenley Campus allows students to expand on core values of equality, diversity, global vision and engagement, intellectual rigor, experiential learning, and a student-centered approach.

Conveniently located on Metro's Red Line, with state-of-the-art technology, environmental sustainability, indoor and outdoor spaces for quiet study and reflection, as well as community building and collaboration, the built campus that will enable WCL to teach, inspire, and have an impact on the world for decades to come.

Learn more about Washington College of Law LEED features in the case study and by visiting the Tenley campus photo galley and space description.

Green Features

Selected
Building
Landscape

  • Water efficient lavatory fixtures, water closets, and urinals resulting in 45% less water consumption than a standard building. 

  • WCL uses 17% less energy than a conventional building through the use of energy efficient HVAC equipment, CFL and LED lighting, and highly insulated walls, roof, and windows.

  • WCL's buildings are equipped with Radiant Ceiling Panels (RCPs) that heat shared occupant spaces, which conserves about 30% of energy used for heating and improves comfortability for occupants.

  • Over 16% of the material used in the building is recycled, including construction material, such as rebar, and hardware.

  • Local materials account for 24% of the total construction including material in the ceiling and wall structure.

  • WCL has over 75,000 square feet of reflective surfaces on building roofs and 100,000 square feet of non-roof hardscapes across the campus, which reduces the overall temperature outside.
  • Has a nearly 2,500 square foot vegetated green roof located above the parking garage.
  • Excess stormwater is captured by bio-retention ponds throughout the site which help to reduce runoff.

During construction of WCL, 90 percent

of construction waste was diverted from landfill.