Yes, the university does build new buildings to sustainable standards. It is a requirement at Penn State to build all new buildings to LEED standards as described in the 2019 LEED v4 policy.

Penn State is a world leader in sustainable building design and standards with 48 buildings that are, at minimum, LEED certified, with an additional 19 pending certification. In 2021, Penn State began building the new Palmer Art Museum of Art to US Green Building Council standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.