The John P. Murtha Engineering and Science Building at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown has undergone renovations and achieved LEED-certified designation. The addition of a chemical engineering building, including laboratories, classrooms, study spaces, and faculty offices, provides areas for student experiments in various areas of chemical engineering such as separation, thermodynamics, and process control.
In terms of sustainability, the new building has taken significant steps to reduce its environmental impact. This includes preserving a major portion of the building envelope, reducing light pollution, minimizing heat island effects and adding energy recovery equipment for new laboratory mechanical systems along with variable frequency drives for pumps and fans. The building automation system also helps to control the energy use within the building.
With this achievement, there are now a total of 18 LEED-certified spaces across Pitt campuses spanning 1.39 million square feet. This marks Pitt-Johnstown’s third LEED certified space joining Nursing & Health Sciences Building and John P. Murtha Center. The LEED green building rating system is widely used to recognize projects that contribute to carbon reduction, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management and other sustainability efforts.
The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown is committed to promoting sustainability throughout its campus community through initiatives like these renovations that aim to reduce the university’s carbon footprint while also providing state-of-the-art facilities for students and faculty members alike. For more information on Pitt’s sustainability commitments and progress, you can read the latest sustainability progress report.
