First LEED Accreditation for Interior Design

Interior Design student Rachael McClain and Lori Brown, chair of the Department of Construction Management, spent last spring preparing to take the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Commercial Interiors (CI) Accredited Professional exam. In addition, they worked together to prepare LEED CI curriculum and study material to help other interior design students prepare for the exam.

McClain and Brown both passed the LEED CI exam last August after spending several months working together. McClain passed with a high score (186/200) and is the first in the history of the Department of Interior Design to earn the LEED Accredited Professional credential.

“Rachel is the type of highly motivated, bright, and dedicated student every teacher dreams about working with,” said Brown. “She pushed me to extend my LEED rating system knowledge into the commercial interiors system. She prepared activities, quizzes, practice exams, and PowerPoint presentations for future interior design students and faculty to use to help them to prepare to become LEED APs. She never gave up on me, even when I was buried in other responsibilities. Getting to know Rachel and having the opportunity to work with her has been tremendously rewarding.”

Brown and McClain will share their experience preparing for the national LEED CI exam and the material they have prepared in interior design courses this semester.