Are LEED campus buildings universally designed? Assessments at Virginia Tech
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
ISSN: 1467-6370
Article publication date: 11 April 2022
Issue publication date: 24 November 2022
Abstract
Purpose
As many of the next generation leaders are currently on college campuses, endorsing green buildings can foster environmental stewardship among the student body. However, marshalling in the social sphere of sustainability is also critical to cultivate more supportive and inclusive communities. With this in mind, a chief component of the social sphere within sustainability is equal opportunity. Relating equal opportunity to green campus buildings, the question presents itself: Do all campus users have accessibility to and within these green campus buildings from a social equity perspective?
Design/methodology/approach
To begin to answer this question, student team project deliverables were analyzed for building accessibility among a sample of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings on the Blacksburg campus of Virginia Tech.
Findings
While findings suggest the vast majority of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements are being met overall within the sample of LEED buildings at Virginia Tech and in some cases exceeded, recommendations are put forward to foster an even more inclusive campus environment.
Originality/value
While the literature shows that ecological sustainability and accessibility can be considered together, no studies were found focusing on accessibility of green certified campus buildings. This is an important area of study, as all members of the campus community deserve full access to campus buildings, especially LEED buildings that have been shown to have increased occupant benefits. This study begins to fill the gap by examining LEED certified buildings at the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, VA through a student lens.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank CLAHS Departmental Diversity Grants and CLAHS Global Partnership Awards for funding this research. The authors also express sincere appreciation for the student teams who worked on the RED 4644 building assessment projects.
Citation
Hopkins, E.A. and Hwang, E. (2022), "Are LEED campus buildings universally designed? Assessments at Virginia Tech", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 23 No. 7, pp. 1520-1542. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-01-2021-0031
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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