On April 19, Donald Bren Hall on the University of California - Santa Barbara, (UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA) was not only dedicated, but it received the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum award, the highest of these honors, for the school's innovation and dedication to being "green."
UCSB's goal was to design a building that minimizes the environmental impact of the ecosystem and efficiently makes use of the land, air, water, and energy surrounding the campus. By partnering with various U.S. companies, Donald Bren Hall surpasses California's strict building and energy code requirements by 32% to 40%, while only having added a 2% cost to the project to achieve this. There is only one other building in the entire country to have received such an award.