Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.78
Liaison Amber Saxton
Submission Date Sept. 9, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

George Mason University
OP-4: Building Design and Construction

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.76 / 3.00 Tyler Orton
Projects Innovation Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have any building space certified under the following green building rating systems for new construction and major renovations?:
Yes or No
LEED or another 4-tier rating system used by an Established Green Building Council (GBC) Yes
The DGNB system, Green Star, or another 3-tier GBC rating system No
BREEAM, CASBEE, or another 5-tier GBC rating system No
The Living Building Challenge No
Other non-GBC rating systems (e.g. BOMA BESt, Green Globes) Yes

A brief description of the green building rating system(s) used and/or a list of certified buildings and ratings:

LEED Certified:
Mason Inn-LEED Gold
Founders Hall-LEEDCertified
Eastern Shore-LEED Gold
Hampton Roads-LEED Gold
Engineering Building-LEED Silver

Virginia Energy Conservation and Environmental Standards certified:
Rogers-VEES Certified
Whitetop-VEES Certified

Currently Pursuing LEED Certification:
Exploratory Hall - LEED Gold
Mason-Smithsonian - LEED Silver


Total floor area of eligible building space (design and construction):
3,083,581 Square feet

Floor area of building space that is certified at each level under a 4-tier rating system for new construction and major renovations used by an Established Green Building Council::
Certified Floor Area
Minimum Level (e.g. LEED Certified) 413,532 Square feet
3rd Highest Level (e.g. LEED Silver) 179,954 Square feet
2nd Highest Level (e.g. LEED Gold) 362,355 Square feet
Highest Achievable Level (e.g. LEED Platinum) 0 Square feet

Floor area of building space that is certified at each level under a 3-tier rating system for new construction and major renovations used by an Established Green Building Council::
Certified Floor Area
Minimum Level ---
Mid-Level ---
Highest Achievable Level ---

Floor area of building space that is certified at each level under a 5-tier rating system for new construction and major renovations used by an Established Green Building Council::
Certified Floor Area
Minimum Level ---
4th Highest Level ---
Mid-Level ---
2nd Highest Level ---
Highest Achievable Level ---

Floor area of building space certified Living under the Living Building Challenge:
---

Floor area of building space that is certified at any level under other green building rating systems for new construction and major renovations:
231,085 Square feet

Floor area of building space that was designed and constructed in accordance with green building policies or guidelines but NOT certified:
203,618 Square feet

A copy of the guidelines or policies :
The date the guidelines or policies were adopted:
July 1, 2010

A brief description of the green building guidelines or policies and/or a list or sample of buildings covered:

The Commonwealth of Virginia adopted the Virginia Energy Conservation and Environmental standards (VEES). These guidelines are based off of the most common green building guidelines such as LEED and Green Globes. For more information visit http://www.fm.virginia.edu/fpc/ContractAdmin/ProfSvcs/DEBNotice.pdf .


A brief description of how the institution ensures compliance with green building design and construction guidelines and policies:

In 2007, George Mason University's (Mason) Board of Visitors pledged that all of Mason new buildings will be designed and built to a minimum of US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standard. In addition, the state of Virginia in Executive Order 19 (2010) states that all new buildings shall meet the Virginia Energy Conservation and Environmental Standards (VEES) for energy performance and water conservation. While Mason has its buildings built to LEED Silver standards and VEES, Mason has limited budget to complete the LEED certification process for each new building. Therefore, LEED Silver or higher certification is pursued for a limited number of Mason's new buildings.


The website URL where information about the institution’s certified buildings and/or green building design and construction guidelines or policies is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Data is for FY 2014


The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.