NEWTON, MA W.T. Rich Company, Inc. announces that the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Modernization project received LEED® Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

W.T. Rich constructed at the Mass Maritime Academy an $18.7 million, 43,000-square-foot library, known as the American Bureau of Shipping Information Commons, with unique architectural features including limestone veneer, glass flooring at stair landings, a rooftop skylight that runs the entire length of the building, a large rotunda encased in architectural woodwork, a rooftop solar photovoltaic array, and much more. The project also includes over 50 geothermal wells for heating and air conditioning.

Platinum is the highest level of LEED certification. A building must receive at least 80 points out of 110 points to achieve this status. A large number of sustainable design features were evaluated and incorporated into the final design, including water conservation, light sensors, chilled beams, geothermal energy system, radiant floor heating, rapidly renewable materials, and materials with a high recycled content.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) funded and managed the project, and Perry Dean Rogers was the architect who designed the American Bureau of Shipping Information Commons building.

"W.T. Rich Company is very proud of the partnership we had with the Academy, DCAMM and Perry Dean Rogers in achieving this goal," said Jonathan Rich, CEO of W.T. Rich Company, Inc. "Our firm is committed to sustainable design and construction, and the achievement of LEED Platinum is a great milestone signifying that commitment."