DesignGroup and Columbus State Community College achieve LEED Certified Status for Mitchell Hall

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded LEED Certified status to Cameron Mitchell Hall at Columbus State Community College, the state-of-the-art facility named for the Columbus native and noted restaurant developer. The categories of Water Efficiency and Energy and Atmosphere comprised approximately half the points for the project, for which DesignGroup served as architect.

 The $34.5 million project is located on Columbus State’s downtown campus within the Creative Campus of the Discovery District of Columbus. The building, which doubled the School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts enrollment capacity to more than 1,500 students, features seven new teaching kitchens; a 100-seat full-service teaching restaurant and bar; a bakery and café; a 600-person capacity conference center; a 100-seat culinary theater; a beverage and mixology lab; and classrooms and other support spaces.

Notable LEED credits awarded included the indoor water use reduction credit in the Water Efficiency category, which scored a perfect six points through the implementation of water-efficient fixtures. In the Energy and Atmosphere category, the optimized energy performance credit was awarded with the project being designed for 19.5% energy cost savings. Additionally, Columbus State earned 5 credits by utilizing both enhanced commissioning and envelope commissioning throughout the project.

In the Materials and Resources category, the project attained exemplary performance by selecting products with environmental product declarations, a majority of which were product specific. In the Innovation in Design category, LED lighting fixtures were used exclusively throughout on the project and no mercury-based fixtures were employed. 

“Mitchell Hall is a wonderful example of the work done every day in Columbus to create a vibrant and collaborative community,” said Lorne Eisen, RA, LEED AP BD+C – Principal at DesignGroup. “Achieving LEED Certified on this project shows the high standards DesignGroup and Columbus State placed on this innovative project.”

Mitchell Hall’s design seeks to connect the campus by creating a conduit between the campus core and the surrounding community. The physical spaces Mitchell Hall creates – inside and out ­– enhance both student learning, recruitment and retention, and partnership opportunities for the college. The Culinary Hub, a three-story, sky-lit space, serves as the entry and exit points for the building. It is also the center of activity, surrounded by first-floor dining, bakery and on-display production kitchens with a variety of formal and casual exterior spaces for eating, socializing and studying, plus an outdoor teaching space with plans for an outdoor kitchen. Mitchell Hall’s seven new teaching kitchens, along with the teaching restaurant and mixology lab, all boast large-scale windows that look out onto either the first-floor landscape or the Columbus skyline, furthering connections to the campus and the surrounding neighborhood.           

About DesignGroup

Founded in 1972, DesignGroup is an AIA Ohio Gold Medal architecture and design firm with offices in Columbus, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The practice focuses on education, civic + cultural, library, healthcare, workplace and commercial projects. With numerous award-winning projects located throughout the United States, DesignGroup’s work is unmistakable, striking a balance of stunning contemporary architecture, thoughtful renovations and sustainable building practices. Civic responsibility is integral to DesignGroup’s philosophy; beyond bricks and mortar, the firm is deeply involved in community organizations and its design principals are recognized as thought leaders in design. Learn more at www.designgroup.us.com.