New Construction


As part of the commitment to sustainability that Sonoma State has made, all new construction will meet or exceed LEED Silver Standard or equivalent. To accomplish this, the area of Capital Planning, Design and Construction has dedicated one of its staff to focus solely on sustainability. Evidence of the hard work of this department and others can be seen in the new buildings taking shape on campus.

Envinronmental Technology Center


The Environmental Technology Center is an education, demonstration and research facility that teaches the art and science of sustainable building design and construction. The Center's mission is to:

  1. Foster and understanding of the environmental, economic, social and human health impacts that arise from our current approach to building design and resource use.
  2. Educate about the viable science-based solutions that are grounded in and consider a balance of the key aspects of sustainability; environment, economy and social equity.
  3. Empower students, professionals, the business community, local government and the broader community to implement balanced solutions to built-environment impacts.

The Center has hosted thousands of visitors and participants in a variety of activities, including:

  1. Green Materials Expo
  2. U.S. Congress Energy Sub-Committee Hearing
  3. Greening Affordable Housing Conference
  4. Climate Change Symposia
  5. Green Building Professional Certificate Program
  6. Green Building Film and Lecture Series
  7. Site Tours

For more information, visit The Environmental Technology Center homepage.

Student Recreation Center


Incorporating sustainable design and other environmentally-friendly concepts into the 59,000 sf SSU Recreation Center (opened 2004) was a key goal from the beginning. The integrated design team used LEED as an education, planning, and design tool to provide many of the successful green building aspects. The forward-thinking group not only wanted to achieve sustainability in the design, construction, and operation of the Rec Center, but also wanted to provide a model and educational tool to raise awareness for everyday green practices.

See pictures and learn more about the SSU Recreation Center's sustainability.

Green Music Center


The Green Music Center is aptly named as the construction has been focused not only on the perfection of sound but on the care for the environment. This new cluster of buildings has made use of a number of sustainable building practices including, daylighting, building thermal mass, using radiant heating and natural ventilation. Together these efforts keep energy use at Green below (23% for the concert hall and 27% for the academic wing) the Title 24 Energy Standard of 2001. The facility’s energy costs will be $50,000 lower using these sustainable techniques while greenhouse gas production will be reduced by over 140 metric tons.

Tuscany Village


Sonoma State’s newest student housing facility, Tuscany, will be open in the Fall of 2009. When complete, the project will use 24% less energy than the Title 24 Energy Standard of 2001. In addition energy costs will be reduced by over $34,000 and greenhouse gases will be reduced by 31 Metric Tons. Tuscany will meet the LEED Silver Equivalent using systems similar to the Green Music Center.