The Knight Management Center

The construction of the Knight Management Center campus leverages Stanford President John L. Hennessy's call for the University to be a force for change on issues of global importance, especially regarding the environment.

Dean Robert Joss further emphasizes, "Progress on environmental sustainability will only come about if businesses act differently, and if the organizations and systems designed to promote sustainable behavior are constructed and managed in the most effective manner..."

As a state-of-the-art campus, the Knight Management Center strives to be:

• A generator of clean energy
• A responsible user of water
• An exceptional environment for its inhabitants

LEED Certification goal for the Knight Management Center

The School is seeking a LEED® Platinum rating for the design of the new Knight Management Center, which is the highest level of certification currently offered by the LEED® Green Building Rating System from the U.S. Green Building Council. The School is pursuing an aggressive fundraising strategy to help defray the costs associated with design and certification. As the Knight Management Center continues through the design phase, the School is working with the architects and engineers to ensure the campus serves as an environmentally sustainable model that inspires the GSB and Stanford community.

Information Center Atrium

LEED ® promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health:

• Sustainable site development
• Water conservation
• Energy efficiency
• Materials selection
• Indoor environmental quality

Key goals for the new GSB campus:

• Flexibility: From site design to floor plate to office layout, create adaptable spaces that can accommodate present and future needs.
• Energy: Design the facilities' mechanical and electrical systems to exceed current energy efficiency standards by 40% to 45%; generate at least 18% electricity on site.
• Water: Use rainwater and/or re-circulated gray water to reduce potable water use for building sewage conveyance by 50%.
• Materials: Throughout the facilities, use low or no volatile organic compound-emitting materials to ensure exceptional indoor air quality.
• Economics: Use life cycle cost analysis rather than simple payback to evaluate design decisions in building what is envisioned to be a 100-year campus.