Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Cary Street Gym has been awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Gold certification.

“The LEED certification of this project reflects the university’s commitment to sustainability in design, construction and maintenance of our facilities,” said Tom Diehl, director of Recreational Sports. “In addition, state standards dictate that all new construction for state agencies satisfy sustainable design standards.”

The Cary Street Gym occupies the old City Auditorium building and is 150,000 square feet of renovation combined with a large addition. The facility features water-efficient plumbing fixtures and interior finishes that minimize the amount of VOCs — volatile organic compounds — circulated throughout the building. Approximately 90 percent of waste generated during construction was recycled rather than sent to a landfill, and a quarter of the materials used were manufactured using recycled products.

With its Gold rating, the Cary Street Gym becomes the latest VCU structure to earn LEED certification. VCU’s Walter L.Rice Education Building at the VCU Rice Center was the first building in Virginia to be awarded LEED Platinum certification, the highest sustainability rating possible. The School of Dentistry’s Perkinson Building, the Larrick Student Center and the Molecular Medicine Research Building have all earned LEED Silver certification.

For more information on VCU’s efforts to become a green university, visit www.vcugoesgreen.vcu.edu.