The recent renovations of the Jorgensen Laboratory included many upgrades that were designed to reflect Caltech's commitment to sustainability. Now the building has achieved LEED Platinum certification, the highest honor of the U.S. Green Building Council.
"Achieving Platinum certification on this building was particularly rewarding given the fact that the building will serve as a studio for sustainable energy research," says John Onderdonk, director of sustainability programs at Caltech.
LEED—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—is a voluntary program that provides verification of green building design through a survey of prerequisites and guideline credits. To obtain LEED certification, a building must earn a minimum of 40 points on a 110-point LEED rating system scale. Jorgensen received 87 points—80 is the minimum needed for Platinum certification—for its conservation features, which include a "green" roof, natural ventilation systems, use of on-campus solar photovoltaic power, and low-flow water fixtures, among other environmentally conscious details.
Jorgensen is one of 20 LEED Platinum-certified higher-education lab buildings in the country, and one of seven in the state. It is the second higher-education lab building in the state to receive LEED Platinum certification under the current rating system. Caltech's renovation of the Linde + Robinson Lab also received LEED Platinum status last year.
The Jorgensen Lab officially opened in October 2012 and houses scientists who are focused on clean-energy research.
