Kearney Hall at Oregon State University has received gold certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Building Council, the second major facility at the university to achieve the recognition for environmentally sensitive design and construction.

"I'm thrilled," said Scott Ashford, head of the School of Civil and Construction Engineering at OSU, which is housed in Kearney Hall.

The recognition for the building comes 110 years after Apperson Hall was built at the intersection of 14th Street and Monroe Avenue. The $12 million restoration, completed earlier this year, was made possible in part by a $4 million gift from OSU alumnus Lee Kearney and his wife, Connie Kearney. He graduated in civil engineering in 1963, and she, after starting her studies at OSU, earned a degree in education in 1965 from the University of Washington. The building was renamed in their honor.

The renovation retained Kearney's façade, but the interior was completely transformed with classrooms, a multi-use laboratory, offices and a lecture hall.

The finished building earned credit on the LEED scale for its extensive use of recycled materials, including heavy timbers that were salvaged and used in benches, stair treads and accent trim. Another creative recycling touch was reusing marble partitions from restrooms as counter tops.

In addition, Ashford said, the project earned credits for the public-outreach efforts OSU made to show off the sustainable features of the building.

In all, the building earned 44 credits; 39 credits are required for gold certification. Gold certification is second only to platinum status on the LEED scale.

Kearney becomes the second building on the OSU campus with gold certification: The Kelley Engineering Center, also part of the College of Engineering, was first.

One difference between the two projects is that the Kelley Center was built from scratch: The big challenge with the Kearney project was maintaining the exterior while rebuilding the interior.

"It's a historic building," Ashford said of Kearney. "It's really a showcase. I'm really happy with how it turned out."

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