The College of Lake County Science & Engineering Building opened in January 2018 and was certified by the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council as LEED Platinum in February 2019. The 42,000 sq. ft. building houses mechatronics, photonics, and chemistry classrooms and labs. It was part of a series of projects that also included the ongoing renovation and repurposing of 25,000 sq. ft. space vacated by the old chemistry labs.

AEC partnered with Hardt Electric to build out a rooftop photovoltaic array, with AEC constructing the electrical infrastructure and Hardt installing the solar panels. AEC also installed LED lighting and built the electrical system throughout the Building, which was designed to reduce energy use by ~66% relative to a comparable building. Other green features included geothermal heating and cooling and rainwater harvesting.

The Science & Engineering Building earning more points than any other certified LEED project in the new construction category in Illinois, according to David Husemoller, CLC sustainability manager. You can find the full details of the Science & Engineering Building’s LEED Platinum Certification here.