Thanks to Brad Pitt and his brother Doug Pitt, Drury University in Springfield, Missouri will soon have a new LEED-certified building. The Pitt family donated $600,000 in honor of their father, William A. Pitt, to help pay for the O’Reilly Family Event Center’s Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design gold certification.
From the Springfield Business Journal Online:
The 65,000-square-foot center will be the first Gold LEED-certified arena in the country, according to a Drury news release. The playing surface of the 3,100-seat arena will be named the William A. Pitt Court.
The original arena design called for a minimum of Silver LEED certification. Features will include low-flow water fixtures, a dedicated recycling area and a solar-reflective roof and pavement materials, the release said.
Springfield’s O’Reilly family donated the lead gift for the project – $6 million – and the remaining cost will be covered by a $1 million matching grant from the Mabee Foundation, Drury and Drury donors, according to the release.
Brad Pitt is known for his enthusiasm for architecture, and for dedication to sustainability as well. This donation brings together two of his passions – and all in honor of his late father. How sweet. Seriously, can this guy do anything wrong?
Link [SBJ]
Photo credit: Drury Mirror
