ANN ARBOR, MI A renovation and addition at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business is receiving recognition for "Being Green" through LEED Gold certification.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is utilized by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to rate buildings across the globe for their dedication for green building. It recently awarded the U-M Ross Kresge Renovation and new Jeff T. Blau Hall gold status for:

Reduction of reduced potable water use by 41 percent
Landscaping and irrigation systems designed to reduce potable water use for irrigation by 56 percent
An energy cost savings of 30 percent
Whole Building Energy Simulation achieved an energy cost savings of 29 percent
Project diverted 87 percent of the on-site generated construction waste from landfill
37 percent of the total building materials content, by value, was manufactured using recycled materials
68 percent of materials used were sourced regionally

The new Jeff T. Blau Hall was built to replace the aging Computer & Executive Education Building, adding 104,000 square feet to the complex. Meanwhile the Kresge Library was renovated and transformed into Kresge Hall, giving students 75,000 additional square feet for classrooms, study and meeting space. Additionally, Sam Wyly Hall, the Business Administrative Executive Dormitory and the Hill Street Parking Structure were all dressed up with new exterior finishes.

The work creates a unified look for the entire Ross School of Business complex of buildings.

Earlier this year, the AGC of Michigan awarded the project its coveted "Build Michigan" award, looking at many innovative processes in the construction.

As a part of the construction, Walbridge worked with a subcontractor to move a 250-year-old Burr Oak tree roughly 100 yards to make room for the new Jeff T. Blau Hall. The innovative move used air bladders to relocate the tree as onlookers from adjoining neighborhoods watched on.

During an event to celebrate the new facilities in October, the school's benefactor Stephen M. Ross said, "It's not just the architecture, it's the warmth you feel inside the school and the attention to detail."