Henrico County’s Libbie Mill Library has earned LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its environmentally friendly design and construction.
Libbie Mill becomes the 13th Henrico government or school building to earn LEED certification since 2011. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the recognized standard for excellence in green building.
The library, which opened in October 2015, qualified for the Silver rating — the third highest — based on meeting design and construction requirements in a variety of categories: sustainable site; water efficiency; energy efficiency; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation.
Libbie Mill’s landscaping was designed to support stormwater management, incorporates native or adapted plantings, promotes biodiversity and requires no irrigation. The building uses energy-efficient systems and low-flow plumbing fixtures, which are designed to save an estimated 90,000 gallons of water per year. The library’s large windows capture natural light and subsequently reduce energy consumption. It also features low-chemical building materials to improve indoor air quality as well as bicycle racks and parking spaces for low-emission vehicles, including compacts and hybrids.
Libbie Mill, a three-story, nearly 60,000-square-foot building at 2100 Libbie Lake East St., was built to replace the now-closed Dumbarton Area Library, on Staples Mill Road. Libbie Mill used 30 percent less energy per square foot in its first year compared with Dumbarton.
The U.S. Green Building Council released this week its 2016 ranking of the top states that are making considerable strides in sustainable building. Virginia placed eighth, based on a calculation of the amount of the LEED-certified space per resident. Henrico’s Firehouse 3 and Crestview Firehouse 10 earned LEED Silver and Gold certifications in 2016, respectively.
Henrico’s LEED-certified government and school buildings
- Holman Middle School, LEED Silver (2011)
- Glen Allen High School, LEED Gold (2011)
- Glen Allen Branch Library, LEED Silver (2012)
- Firehouse 12, LEED Gold (2012)
- Firehouse 13, LEED Gold (2013)
- Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, LEED Silver (2014)
- Gayton Branch Library, LEED Silver (2014)
- Kaechele Elementary School, LEED Silver (2014)
- Firehouse 7, LEED Silver (2014)
- Henrico Health Department East Clinic, LEED Gold (2015)
- Firehouse 3, LEED Silver (2016)
- Crestview Firehouse 10, LEED Gold (2016)
- Libbie Mill Library, LEED Silver (2017)
