Rockefeller University’s SNF-DR River Campus is certified LEED Gold for sustainability

Drone photo showing the campus of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation - David Rockefeller (SNF-DR) River Campus

Source: SNF

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation – David Rockefeller (SNF-DR) River Campus has earned LEED Gold certification for the ways its design and construction prioritized sustainability. The certification, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council, is based on criteria including water and energy efficiency, the materials chosen for construction, and indoor environmental quality.

The SNF-DR campus, inaugurated in 2019, features a green roof as well as interior finishings with low volatile organic compound emissions, and a full 91% of waste from the construction process was diverted from landfills to be recycled.

This focus on sustainability in the creation of the campus overlapped with already demanding construction conditions. The new campus added two acres of lab and community space to Rockefeller University by building over one of New York City’s busiest roadways, requiring the carefully choreographed installation of enormous prefabricated components by barge. The building’s horizontal profile was designed to encourage collaboration and serendipitous interaction between researchers working on large, continuous floors. It holds the next generation of the cutting-edge lab facilities that foster Rockefeller’s Nobel-winning work.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) supported the project through a $75 million grant, matching an equal pledge from the late David Rockefeller.