2025 California Green Building Awards
Merit in Energy
As the pilot project to champion USC’s carbon neutrality goal by 2025, the 116,000-sf Ginsburg Hall sets a precedent as the University’s first new building to achieve LEED Platinum and all-electric, net-zero emissions operations.
Ginsburg Hall is designed as a “Living Lab”, merging technology and infrastructure to support research where students and faculty can directly engage with building systems and data through smart meters, sensors and systems, turning the campus into both a classroom and research platform to advance innovations in energy performance and carbon-neutrality.
Daylighting strategies deliver light to over 75% of occupied spaces, while automated LED lighting supports circadian health. Radiant heating and cooling are paired with a Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) with displacement ventilation, improving comfort and infection control, and a centralized Building Management System and digital twin enables real-time analysis of building performance and fine-tuning of mechanical systems.
Ginsburg Hall’s academic functions achieved an EUI of 28.70 kBtu/sf/year, with 3.37% renewable energy production on-site and 106% off-campus, achieving net-positive performance. Even with an additional 5,000-sf data center consuming energy at a 5:1 ratio to the rest of the building, the project ultimately performs 35% better than ASHRAE 90.1-2010 by cost.
With Ginsburg Hall serving as the new home for the next generation of pioneers to advance the digital revolution, it is fitting that the design establishes an ambitious yet replicable framework for future developments on campus.