Mode L. Stone Building's Silver LEED certifies it as 'green'

The Mode L. Stone Building, home to the Florida State University College of Education, has received a Silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“The Stone Building’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, the president, CEO and founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council. “The urgency of the USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and the Florida State University College of Education serves as a prime example of just how much we can accomplish.”

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green-building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Approximately 35,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED system, comprising more than 5.6 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 91 countries around the world.

This award is the third recognition that the Stone Building has received since its completion in 2009. The North Florida Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. awarded Childers Construction Company of Tallahassee the 2009 Project of the Year for the company’s management of the building expansion and renovation project. In addition, architectural firm Elliot Marshall Innes, P.A. received a 2008 Chapter Design Merit Award from the Tallahassee Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Both awards recognize the unique accomplishment of blending the components of the original building with a new, contemporary design to create a uniform structure that complements the architecture found throughout the Florida State campus.

The Stone Building joins the McIntosh Track and Field Building and the King

Life Sciences Building as facilities on Florida State’s campus that have received LEED certification.

The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for the nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 78 local affiliates, more than 20,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 100,000 LEED Accredited Professionals, the council is the driving force of an industry that is projected to soar to

$60 billion by 2010. The council leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.