Wash U’s Hillman Hall Expansion Achieves LEED Platinum

ST. LOUIS — The recent expansion of the George Warren Brown School of Social Work’s Hillman Hall building at Washington University in St. Louis recently earned LEED Platinum certification. Santa Monica, Calif.-based Moore, Rubell, Yudel served as the design architect, while St. Louis-headquartered Alberici Constructors served as the construction manager.

The addition to the Brown School doubled teaching, research and program space for the school’s social work and public health programs. The school now encompasses three buildings, and the new building consists of approximately 104,000 square feet, with four levels and a mechanical basement.

At the center of the building is the two-story Maxine Clark and Bob Fox Forum, a 4,000-square-foot multipurpose venue that can be used for banquets, town hall meetings, lectures and conferences. Along with classrooms, offices, study spaces, a cafe and a rooftop garden, the facility also features a lounge and informal dining areas.

The expansion integrates several sustainable design principles including energy efficiency, water conservation, long-term durability, air quality, comfort, the use of regional materials, a connection to nature, wellness and future adaptability. St. Louis-based Vertegy served as the sustainability consultant on the project and coordinated LEED meetings weekly with all critical members of the project team, including the owner and contractor.

Sustainable efforts were made to retain and treat water on site through vegetated swales, rain gardens and ultra-low flow fixtures. Access to daylight and views was optimized for learning and working spaces. Washington University’s campus standards include achieving 30 percent over ASHRAE 90.1, a standard benchmark for commercial building energy codes in the United States. The Brown School made significant strides in energy efficiency to align with the university’s sustainable vision. Extensive energy modeling was performed to inform design decisions, and on-site energy production strategies were employed.