The Lincoln Hall Renovation was originally awarded the LEED Gold Certification on July 9, 2010. As of November 2013 the project has achieved LEED Platinum Certification having achieved 52 of the 69 possible points on the LEED Scorecard and becoming the second LEED Platinum Building on the U of I campus. The construction was especially strong in the Energy & Atmostphere, having achieved 14 of out 17  possible points in that area with ten of those for optimizing energy performance. 

Prominently located on the Quad, the 100-year-old, four-story building is one of the oldest on campus and has been classified as eligible for the National Register of Historic Buildings. A recent renovation of Lincoln Hall has improved energy efficiency, streamlined circulation, increased usable space, and enhanced the learning environment, all while preserving the building’s early-20th-century architectural character.

To achieve the required LEED platinum certification, the CannonDesign team integrated sustainable design principles into every design decision. One major choice exemplifying this sustainable design approach was the decision to retain and reuse the building, capturing its embodied energy and minimizing consumption of new resources. Retaining and restoring as many of the building’s original features as possible helped achieve the parallel goal of historic preservation. Much of Lincoln Hall’s original woodwork was restored, including wood doors and many thousands of feet of oak trim. Original components needing replacement were reused elsewhere. Salvaged, refinished wood is reused in rich textural accent walls in departmental reception spaces, and old slate displaced by a new slate roof was salvaged for reuse and crushed for use as “mulch” in the building’s two courtyards. More infromation about the Lincoln Hall renovation and history is available on The Lincoln Hall Project.

• Reused 96.6% of existing exterior walls, floors and roofs
• Diverted 77.5% of on-site-generated construction waste through recycling, 
  salvage and reuse
• Salvaged, refurbished or reused 32% of existing interior components
• Constructed two, three-story courtyard additions for casual interaction spaces
• Provided new linear ridge skylights for natural daylight to allow repurposing of
  attic space for teaching assistants and faculty offices
• Researched window restoration, storm window and replacement window options
• Reclaimed unused auditorium stage fly space with two new infill floors
• Repurposed the auditorium lounge space in to a cafe
• Removed, refinished and reinstalled thousands of feet of oak casing and trim
• Installed 340 micropiles and excavated the basement an additional 4' for
  mechanical equipment
• Constructed new areawells for intake and exhaust air, eliminating need for
  louvers in historic facades
• Provided two new dedicated outdoor air supply units for ventilation with heat
  recovery wheels
• Installed quiet and efficient low-velocity air diffusers in classrooms and auditorium
• Reduced water use by 42.4% over baseline – exemplary performance is 40%
• Included energy-efficient lighting with daylighting controls and motion sensors
• Achieved 38.4% energy-use reduction from ASHRAE 90.1-2004 existing
  building baseline
• Screened new loading dock/generator enclosure with a living wall
• Created basement locker rooms and showers to encourage bicycle
  commuting and exercise
• Purchased green power to offset 70% of the building’s annual electricity use
  for two years