New Building - A Model of Green Design

Simmons is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification from the United States Green Building Council for the new School of Management ("SOM") Academic Building, slated for completion in January 2009.

The LEED certification system encourages global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the implementation of standardized evaluation criteria and practices. It is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance, green buildings.

There are five levels of LEED certification: Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Only 25 buildings in Massachusetts are certified at the Silver level or higher. Simmons would join only two other Massachusetts higher education institutions, Harvard and Mount Holyoke, that have buildings certified at the Silver level or higher.

The structure will be evaluated on areas like site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. It will use 30% less water and 20% less energy than a conventional structure of the same size.

Building Details

  • The entire SOM, currently located at 409 Commonwealth Avenue, will be housed in the building, unifying all the Simmons schools for the first time in history. The building will also house several administrative departments.
  • With the five-story steel frame constructed, the building is physically taking shape as the final structure that will frame a new, two-acre, nature-filled quad, which was previously a paved parking lot.
  • The new structure will add four state-of-the-art general use classrooms and four SOM-specific classrooms to the approximately 50 classrooms that are currently on the Main Campus. It will also add 1,000 square feet of study space, 2,000 square feet of meeting room space, and a 2,000 square foot, landscaped, rooftop terrace, all for general use.
  • Check out the latest construction updates, slideshow and live webcam.