While the University of Windsor will not pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the Welcome Centre now under construction on the northeast corner of Patricia and Wyandotte, the building will feature enough environmental measures that certification is possible.

The environmentally sustainable plans include:

• a thorough erosion and sedimentation control plan,
• water efficient plumbing fixtures, and
• windows and multiple entrances connecting the interior to the outdoors to promote association with the environment.

Several other measures are still in the approval process.

Construction for the Welcome Centre began in March, and contractors plan to complete the building by the summer of 2015. The University announced in February that an 18,000 square-foot Welcome Centre would be built on the main campus.

Amico Design Build and Hariri Pontarini Architects/Architecttura Inc. took the principles of LEED’s green building rating system into consideration in their designs.

According to the LEED website, making changes in the sustainability of buildings will positively alter the future of the natural environment. With 35 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions coming from buildings, construction and demolition projects contributing to 35 percent of all landfill waste, and the consumption of 80 percent of all water taking place in buildings, creating green initiatives for developing buildings could be a major step in the right direction.

—by Lucy Hopkins