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SWBR Architects & Engineers, P.C.

Rochester Institute of Technology CAST Building

Rochester Institute of Technology CAST Building

RIT's College of Applied Science and Technology (CAST) Building has officially opened in April 2008. The CAST Building consists of lab and office spaces that accommodate a dynamic range of programs including Civil Engineering Technology, Packaging Science, Environmental Management and Electrical, Computer & Telecom Engineering. Its main floor features the McGowan Commons, which serves as a space for social gathering, special events and showcases the college’s programs.


This latest addition to the RIT campus is also be its “greenest” building as it has been designed to meet the standards of the most widely accepted rating system for evaluating sustainable, high-performance buildings, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System of the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Currently under review by the USGBC, the CAST Building is expected to be one of the finest examples of sustainable design in our region. The design of the CAST building implemented a wide range of sustainable strategies. These included careful management of the site in development, the preferred use of renewable or recyclable materials rather than virgin materials, improved design for energy & water efficiency, design and construction measures to improve indoor air quality, and others that - within the LEED system - are categorized as “Innovation in Design”. This is a category for exemplary performance and innovative design ideas that spans beyond the defined LEED Rating System - and is a category that RIT and CAST wholly embraced.


Several RIT colleges are actively involved in educational exercises supporting the project with photographic documentation of construction and environmental protective measures. Others are preparing materials for an educational display in the main lobby. The CAST building is also serving as a component of the college’s curriculum. The building itself is being used as a teaching tool for sustainable design practices.

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