The home of the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life has been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council for its sustainable design and operations.
The Numen Lumen Pavilion in Elon University’s Academic Village has received LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the 18th LEED certified-structure on campus.
Per the university’s Green Building Policy, the 15,058-square-foot facility was designed and constructed to be a high performance sustainable building. It houses the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society.
Additional features include a sacred space for any type of religious service, a kitchen, a library, a multi-purpose room, a meditation space, and meeting and study rooms.
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is an internationally recognized standard for sustainable design and construction.
LEED certification for new construction is assessed based on a point system that considers sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation in design and regional priority credits.
Like Elon’s other LEED-certified buildings, Numen Lumen is designed to encourage the use of outdoor spaces, is walkable to common destinations, has low-flow water fixtures, occupancy sensors and an efficient HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) system. Additional details on the building’s sustainable features can be found on the Office of Sustainability’s website.
The abundance of natural lighting in the building helps decrease electricity consumption and has been reported to increase occupant well-being. Nearly a third of building materials were extracted, harvested and manufactured within 500 miles of campus, and 98 percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill.