Raymond W. Kelly ’63 Student Commons Receives LEED Gold Certification
This is the College’s first LEED certified building on campus.
Manhattan College’s Raymond W. Kelly ’63 Student Commons, which officially opened in October 2014, recently achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED is recognized around the world as the premier mark of achievement in the design, construction and operation of green buildings. The $45 million student commons is the College’s first LEED building on campus.
The Kelly Commons is the largest LEED gold certified non-residential higher education building among 15 gold-certified LEED projects in the Bronx.
“This is the result of a great deal of hard work from our staff,” says Andy Ryan, Manhattan College Vice President for Facilities. “Obtaining LEED gold certification exemplifies Manhattan College’s commitment to bringing sustainability to the forefront of our students’ learning and living environment.”
The 70,000-square-foot Kelly Commons has many green features, including a green roof, regional materials and recycled content, enhanced commissioning, high-efficiency lighting design, occupancy-based lighting and HVAC, demand-based ventilation, variable speed refrigerant system, high-efficiency condensing boilers, installation of Elkay hydration stations, and low-flow bathroom fixtures. In addition, an energy management system monitors the energy throughout the building, and is frequently surveyed and analyzed to review progress and ways to continue to improve.
The building is named for former NYPD Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who graduated from Manhattan College in 1963, and is one of the College’s most renowned and respected alumni. As the crossroads of campus, the Kelly Student Commons links the north and south parts of campus. A true community space, the building significantly enhances the College’s ability to integrate academics and student life programming, and provides space for fitness and wellness programming, dining, study, and cultural and community events.
The design and construction of the Raymond W. Kelly ’63 Student Commons was done in partnership with Perkins Eastman Architects, P.C. and Edward I. Mills + Associates, a joint venture, as well as Syska Hennessy Group, Inc. and Pavarini Northeast Construction Company, Inc., along with Taitem Engineering, PC, the College’s LEED consultant.