It's more than two years away, but Henrico County already is looking forward to earning silver status for its next high school.

Silver comes for going green, just in time to save money on skyrocketing energy costs.

When Henrico's 10th high school opens in fall 2010, it will have the distinction of being the county's first high school to receive LEED silver certification.

The certification comes from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. Points are given for green practices such as water-efficient landscaping, construction waste management and a green housekeeping plan.

To be certified, a building needs at least 29 points; for silver, the minimum is 37 points. Gold is 44-57 points, and platinum is 58-79.

A middle school scheduled to open in 2010 is expected to receive regular LEED certification, with 29 points. It and the high school will be the county's first LEED-certified schools.

With a working name of High School No. 1, the facility will be built on Staples Mill Road near Interstate 295. It is designed for 1,800 students, and redistricting efforts begin this fall to determine attendance boundaries.

LEED certification has certain requirements, said Armando de Leon, Henrico schools' assistant superintendent of operations.

"Once you've exceeded those, you can add a few more items and reach silver, gold and platinum status," he said.

Original building plans did not call for LEED certification, but the School Board and Board of Supervisors made a commitment this year to seek it.

Obtaining the designation will add about $1.5 million to the $74 million project, de Leon said.

"Over the life of this building, we will recover a substantial number of times the amount we spend," he said. "It will cost substantially less to operate."

Saving money is important, but the school's architect says there is even greater value.

"Doing high-performance schools just makes sense," said Doug Westmoreland, managing principal at Moseley Architects. "There are definitive studies that prove it can help students do better in school."

One area where the school won't receive LEED points, however, is on the athletic field.

"We're going to have to irrigate four playing fields," de Leon said. "We're going to have to do other things to get the credits back."

Henrico has identified other options. Water collected in cisterns will be used in low-flow toilets. Many materials used in construction will be manufactured locally. Classroom lights will automatically adjust to the amount of sunlight entering a room.

Bike paths will be built to encourage alternative transportation. Five percent of parking spaces near the building will be reserved for hybrid vehicles.

And even more important is that the school's green design concept will be taught to the students.

"LEED silver designation is an incredible opportunity for us and for the kids," de Leon said. "This is going to be a spectacular school."
Contact Lisa Crutchfield at (804) 649-6362 or lcrutchfield@timesdispatch.com.