North Court, one of the oldest buildings on University of Richmond’s campus, has received the 2020 Historical Renovation Award from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Virginia Chapter.

Originally designed by Ralph Adams Cram as the home to Westhampton College in 1913, North Court was renovated in 2017 to maximize its purpose as both a residential and academic space.

The renovation project was honored at this year’s Community Leader Awards ceremony, which recognized projects and teams across Virginia for their excellence in high-performance building design, environmental stewardship, community impact, and volunteerism.

“North Court holds great significance to our campus, both historically and architecturally and has undergone many renovations over the years, with the most recent being one of the most ambitious,” said Benjamin Gillie, assistant director of construction management and design.

North Court Residential was converted from hall-style, single, double, and triple rooms with shared hall baths to suite-style rooms with private baths. Additional renovation work included common areas, three large assembly spaces, a social and academic lounge, a community kitchen, a faculty apartment, and laundry facilities. 

North Court was LEED Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council in October 2019, the seventh building on campus to achieve this top accreditation.

Energy Performance was a driving factor in the renovation. The project earned  the maximum amount of LEED points possible in LEED’s “Optimize Energy Performance” category. The project holds the highest LEED point total of any building on campus to date. Additionally, more than 93% of construction and demolition materials were diverted from the landfill.

“As with all construction projects on campus,” Gillie said, “whether they be new construction or renovations, we ensure sustainability is woven into the fabric of the project.”