Hamilton College in Clinton, NY has been awarded LEED Gold certification for the 40-year-old Kirner-Johnson (KJ) Building, recently renovated by a team led by EwingCole Architects.

Like other renovation and construction projects on campus, the Kirner-Johnson project includes energy-efficient mechanical systems, environmentally friendly materials and improved indoor environmental quality. According to Steve Bellona, associate vice president for facilities and planning, KJ will provide a 25 to 28 percent savings in energy due to its layout and architecture.

In the renovation of KJ, creating an environmentally friendly building was accomplished while still maintaining a dynamic building design. The building was feted with a two-page spread and included in a list of college buildings reflecting outstanding design in the Outstanding Design American School and University Portfolio for 2009. KJ is home to Hamilton's social sciences departments. It also houses the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center, the Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center and the Oral Communications Center.

Economics Professor Paul Hagstrom, who served as the faculty liaison for the project for more than a decade, said, "As the users of Kirner-Johnson, we appreciate that, along with the function and aesthetics of the space, the College was dedicated to incorporating sustainable design."

Another Hamilton campus building renovated by EwingCole, Skenandoa House, had received LEED Silver certification in 2006, but this is the college's first LEED Gold certified building. Five other colleges and one secondary school in New York State have buildings that have been certified LEED Gold.