Beijing, January 8, 2018 – Schwarzman College is pleased to announce the award of LEED Gold certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) under the LEED-New Construction system, a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement. The system provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings.
Set on the campus of Tsinghua University, one of China’s most prestigious universities, Schwarzman College opened its doors with the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars in 2016. Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, the 200,000 square foot campus houses one of the most advanced higher-education facilities in the world and is one of the first LEED Gold–certified academic buildings in China.
“While creating the program, it was important that the building of Schwarzman College be a representation of the innovation and positive global impact that the program as a whole will have for the future,” said Stephen A. Schwarzman, Founding Trustee of Schwarzman Scholars.
With support of the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council), a non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction and operation, Schwarzman College joins the more than 1,000 LEED-certified buildings in Greater China.
“LEED is a transformative tool that ensures a building is designed and operating to achieve high performance in key areas of human and environmental health while enhancing the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. “
By prioritizing sustainability, Schwarzman College is leading the way in global excellence and performance improvement, and helping USGBC continue toward our vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation.”
The College has also committed to RESET Certified air quality monitoring, which uses a cloud-based tool focused on health and regeneration to provide accurate metrics regarding the performance of indoor air filtration. RESET makes air quality data easily available to all occupants of the building.
“The Schwarzman Scholars Program provides an advanced educational experience in a building with exceptionally good indoor air quality, designed to optimize the health and performance of scholars” said Raefer Wallis, Founder of RESET. “Achieving RESET Certification ensures scholars have access to accurate, up to date data on both indoor and outdoor air quality, and, ensures that the building’s high-efficiency filtration system continues to perform over time.”
To ensure the success of Schwarzman College LEED and RESET commitments, Schneider Electric, a leading provider of energy management, generously contributed HVAC and control equipment critical to achieving exemplary performance.
About Schwarzman Scholars:
Schwarzman Scholars was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship, which was founded in 1902 to promote international understanding and peace, and is designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. Blackstone Co-Founder Stephen A. Schwarzman personally contributed over $100 million to the program and is leading a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $500 million from others to endow the program in perpetuity. Schwarzman Scholars has already raised $516 million towards this $600 million goal. The endowment will support up to 200 Scholars annually from the U.S., China and around the world for a one-year Master’s Degree program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Scholars chosen for this highly selective program have demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities and their potential to bridge and understand cultural and political differences. They will live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending lectures, traveling, and developing a better understanding of China. Learn more at www.schwarzmanscholars.org, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SchwarzmanScholars and follow us on Twitter at @SchwarzmanOrg.