The Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) said Thursday a new Columbus City Schools building is the 150th public education facility in the state to be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
Columbus’ new Scioto middle-high school is a LEED Gold-certified building, the 67th to receive that designation. Ohio has three buildings with the highest designation, LEED Platinum; 77 LEED Silver designees; and 3 LEED Certified, the most basic rating.
OSFC has started requiring all building projects to seek LEED Silver certification at minimum.
The commission said Ohio has the most certified public school buildings in the nation, leading the more populous California, which has 108. An additional 190 projects are in the pipeline in Ohio, the commission said.
“These projects, which represent a commitment to both our school children and the future of our environment, are the direct result of innovative team work from architects, construction managers, trade contractors, and our project partners, the local school districts. I commend them for their accomplishments,” OSFC Executive Director Richard Hickman said in a statement.
LEED designations are derived from a points-based system focused on such design elements as water and energy efficiency, sustainable site development, material selection, and indoor environmental quality.