Milstein Hall

University Ave passing under the Milstein Hall overhang.
Floor-to-ceiling high-performance insulated glass walls naturally light the studio space.

Milstein Hall

LEED Certified Gold

The sustainable design goals for Milstein Hall were met through the use of good design practices to provide a healthy and comfortable environment for the building occupants.

On the LEED-certified scorecard, Milstein Hall scored 40 out of 69 possible points. For a full breakdown, review the report on the US Green Buildings Certification (USGBC) website.

Sustainable Sites Water Efficiency Energy & Atmosphere Materials & Resources Indoor Environmental Quality Innovation & Design Accredited Professional
Points Earned 8 / 14 4 / 5 9 / 17 5 / 13 9 / 15 4 / 4 1 / 1

Project Highlights

  • The lighting system is connected to daylight sensors to balance daylight with artificial light
  • The studio's climate is maintained by the ceiling's chilled beams, which draw cool water from a local lake, reducing the need for large traditional HVAC mechanical systems. Heating comes through the concrete slab floor. Together these two systems provide a more efficient, cleaner, and more comfortable controlled environment
  • 57% of the exterior walls of the three-story building are floor-to-ceiling high-performance insulated glass, allowing abundant daylight to illuminate the studios, critique rooms, exhibition space, and auditorium.
  • The 24,000 square-foot roof is a sedum-covered green-roof punctuated by a cluster of north-facing skylights that gradually increase in size to draw more daylight to the center of the deep plate further from the exterior façade. Two different types of sedum create a gradient pattern of dots that transition from small circles near the Arts Quad on the south to a dense, larger pattern of dots towards the natural landscape of the gorge to the North
  • Workers recycled over 50% of the waste generated during construction
  • Material use was reduced by integrating the building systems with structure: concrete foundation walls are exposed, and structural steel and glass are expressed visibly. Each element serves as a learning tool for our architecture students

Check Out Milstein Hall


LEED®, and its related logo, is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council® and is used with permission.