Computer Science Laboratories Receives Platinum LEED Certification
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The new Computer Science Laboratories (CSL) building has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, the first building on campus to achieve that distinction. Designed by Perkins Eastman, the 94,000-square-foot addition to the existing Computer Science Building houses teaching and research facilities for the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences. The project, which opened in fall 2025, pairs expanded teaching, research, and community spaces with a sustainable design that supports the college’s vision for a collaborative hub for the future and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost rating system for environmental performance of all building types. Projects are rated on a wide range of criteria, including energy and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and sustainable site development.
The CSL earned Platinum certification for successfully implementing a variety of sustainable strategies and features, including passive and active systems to avoid the use of fossil fuels and significantly reduce operational energy use despite high plug loads associated with computational labs.
Among the green elements of the CSL’s design that were recognized by the USGBC include:
- A mass timber structure that resulted in an approximate 58% reduction in embodied carbon compared to a conventional steel-and-concrete baseline – equivalent to roughly two decades of operational carbon savings
- Low-emitting and environmentally friendly building materials, including low-carbon concrete
- Building life-cycle analysis to guide decisions, reduce the environmental impact of construction materials and divert construction/demolition waste
- A ground source heat exchange system that combines 70 geothermal wells, heat recovery chillers, and a 2.3-million-gallon thermal energy storage tank
- Indoor and outdoor water use reduction measures, including blue roofs, bioswales, and a cistern, to holistically reduce stormwater impact on civil infrastructure
- Reduced heat island & light pollution
The CSL’s complete LEED scorecard can be viewed on the USGBC database
This story was originally published by the UMass Amherst Office of News & Media Relations