Huguenot High School Achieves LEED Gold Certification

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Huguenot High School earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification with the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) on Tuesday, March 29. Huguenot High School is the first new high school built in Richmond in almost 50 years. As a STEM-focused school, Huguenot High School offers students modern technology, open learning spaces, and two floors of classrooms. The school is also home to the Huguenot High School Community Center, which offers personal wellness and health services.

All of the credits that were ultimately submitted were approved, for a total of 47 points. A final scorecard showing the credits earned is attached showing that the school exceeded the goal of LEED Silver, and most importantly reduced environmental impact and operating costs.

Here are some of the highlights of what was accomplished:
  • Potable water use and wastewater volume are reduced by over 40% with low-flow plumbing fixtures (saving almost 770,000 gallons per year), plus a highly-efficient irrigation system saves an additional 625,000 gallons of potable water each year;
  • Energy is reduced by an overall average of 39% compared to baseline (a minimally code-compliant building);
  • 89% (almost 15,000 tons) of the construction and demolition waste was recycled or salvaged;
  • 20% of the new building materials are made from recycled content and/or were regionally manufactured;
  • 90% of the wood materials were harvested from sustainably managed forests;
  • All adhesives, sealants, paints, flooring, and composite wood inside the building are low-emitting materials to improve indoor air quality;
  • 90% of the occupied spaces have a view to the outside.