Renovation of Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study yields oldest LEED-certified building in U.S.
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The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study recently achieved LEED-NC v3 Gold certification for its renovation of the historic Fay House, making it the oldest LEED certified building in the United States. The project provided a prime opportunity to closely evaluate the often synergistic, but occasionally competing priorities of historic preservation and sustainability, according to the USGBC.
Evaluation of the envelope and structure of the circa 1807 building was the most significant area where preservation and sustainability were carefully balanced—such as restoring windows to maintain the aesthetic while improving efficiency, modifying interior walls to increase daylight, weatherizing the envelope, and evaluating the feasibility of insulating the building. To avoid obtrusive mechanical equipment such as cooling towers, ground source heat pumps were selected as the means of heating and cooling the building.
(http://www.usgbc.org/articles/balancing-preservation-and-energy-efficiency/)