The Gold Standard for leadership in energy and environmental design

The New Brooks Library at Norfolk State University Earns Leed Gold Certification

The new library reigns as the first and — thus far — only LEED Gold-certified building on the Norfolk State University (NSU) campus. To sustainably “Achieve with Excellence,” the school motto, LEED strategies were brought in during early design phases to seamlessly incorporate resource efficiency into the building program. “This state-of-the-art facility will serve as a recruiting tool as well as an academic stimulus for students, faculty and the community alike,” stated Anton V. Kashiri, associate vice president of facilities management for NSU.

Derived from the university’s desire to be contextually sensitive to new and future neighboring master planned buildings, a modern design prevails in the library’s fenestration, massing and structure. However, the architectural fabric of the 77-year-old campus influenced the choice of brick veneers for the building skin. Just as the library design was influenced by the campus and its history, the iconic nature of the library’s design will, in turn, greatly affect the future campus buildings that will surround it and populate the heart of the campus. John Portman & Associates served as the design architect for the project in association with Moseley Architects.