Case Study

Benedictine Monastery Receives Highest LEED Score

The rolling hills of southern Wisconsin are now home to the two highest-rated LEED-Platinum buildings in the country. The Holy Wisdom Monastery in Madison, Wisconsin, home to the Benedictine Women of Madison, recently earned a LEED score of 63 (out of a possible 69) points, surpassing the nearby Aldo Leopold Legacy Center (61 points), to become the nation’s top-rated LEED building.

The Sisters chose to deconstruct their 60,000 ft2 (5,600 m2) former conference center, Benedict House, and replace it with a 34,380 ft2 (3,200 m2) facility, sited on a 95-acre parcel of prairie restored by the Sisters and volunteers over the span of a decade. The building was designed to accommodate future upgrades that would eventually make the building carbon neutral. The two-story Holy Wisdom Monastery now houses the Benedictine Sisters’ community, serves as a retreat center and place of worship for various faith and cultural communities, and hosts other community events and performances.

Published May 1, 2010

Ward, A. (2010, May 1). Benedictine Monastery Receives Highest LEED Score. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/case-study/benedictine-monastery-receives-highest-leed-score