Cooper Union
New York, New York
The Cooper Union’s commitment to sustainability has earned it the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest honor: LEED Platinum Certification. For a school steeped in history and tradition, The Cooper Union is well ahead of its time when it comes to green building innovations. Established in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is among the nation’s oldest and most distinguished institutions of higher education. Its notable alumni include Thomas Edison, and seven U.S. presidents have given historic addresses in the school’s Great Hall.
Today, The Cooper Union is setting the standard for sustainable building practices. The school’s new building at 41 Cooper Square in Manhattan is one of just 38 education and campus projects worldwide to earn LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The designation is based on five measures, one being energy and atmosphere. The building excelled in this category thanks to the installation of a combined heat and power (CHP) module from Elite Energy Systems, LLC. ELITE and its distributor, Leonard Powers, Inc., installed a roof-mounted, skid-assembled 250-kilowatt CHP system, which includes a 80-ton absorption chiller. The skid assembly was constructed and functionally tested in ELITE’s facility in Carson City, Nevada before being shipped to the job site for installation. The application is projected to operate at over 80 percent energy efficiency, providing almost all of the building’s electricity and heating needs. A comprehensive analysis of the CHP system showed that it would pay for itself in five to seven years.
