Huaxyacac Hall Certified LEED Gold
The universitys newest residential community earns a crowning achievement in sustainability.
“Our attention was always focused on overall building performance and efficiency which helped us keep sustainability a high priority.”
San Diego State University’s newest residential community, Huaxyacac, has earned LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for new building construction. Huaxyacac was completed and opened in August 2019 and is the university’s first residential community to attain LEED Gold status.
It is the university’s sixth residential facility to be LEED-certified along with South Campus Plaza North, South Campus Plaza South, Tenochca, Tula and Zura, which are all certified LEED Silver.
“Achieving LEED Gold on Huaxyacac was a huge achievement for SDSU,” said SDSU Director of Construction Amanda Scheidlinger. “We worked together with our design-build team from the inception of the project and always tried to make intelligent decisions that could boost our project's sustainability goals without additional costs or impacts.”
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a third-party green building rating system. To qualify for certification, each project must follow strict LEED guidelines.
Located on the western side of campus adjacent to Chapultepec residence hall, Huaxyacac is designed with a focus on resource efficiency that minimizes environmental impact and produces cost savings over its life cycle. Features include advanced energy and water metering to optimize energy efficiency and support water management, low-flow toilets, showers and faucets to promote water conservation and trickle vents in resident rooms to improve indoor air quality and reduce energy consumption.
Additional sustainable elements include an expansive outdoor space with water-efficient landscaping, covered bicycle storage and water bottle refill stations.
The university's five-year strategic plan, "We Rise We Defy: Transcending Borders, Transforming Lives," emphasizes the university’s commitment to sustainable practices through its strategic priorities.
“Our attention was always focused on overall building performance and efficiency which helped us keep sustainability a high priority,” said Scheidlinger.
In addition to the residential communities, a number of SDSU buildings have achieved LEED certifications in recent years. The Mission Bay Aquatic Center became the first in 2013, and was soon followed by the Children’s Center, Storm and Nasatir Halls, Aztec Recreation Center, Mission Bay Aquatic Center and Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union.
In 2017, the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union achieved LEED Double Platinum status, joining an elite group of energy-efficient buildings.
