In our June issue, I wrote about environmentally friendly laboratories and last month, I wrote about Arizona State University's Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building IV, which is scheduled for completion by 2010. ASU plans to seek LEED Silver status from the US Green Building Council for that project, but has received even higher LEED ratings for two other research buildings on its Tempe campus.

The Biodesign Institute , a center focused on multi-disciplinary research on the nano scale, received top LEED ratings for two of its buildings: LEED Gold status for its Building A and the highest rating, LEED Platinum, for its Building B. Achieving these certifications is nothing to sneeze at. It requires adherence to stringent design and operation principles that assure the sustainability of a building.