Congratulations Henderson County

We received the great news that Hillandale and Mills River Elementary Schools have achieved the LEED Gold rating from the USGBC. These schools are the first LEED Certified facilities in Henderson County and the first schools in the state to certify at the Gold level under the USGBC’s more advanced LEED for Schools Rating System released in April 2007.

The new schools provide learning space for 722 students, with a core for 800 students. Designed with 32 classrooms, a gymnasium, media center, art room and cafeteria, the two schools are also the first facilities in Henderson County to earn LEED certification. The schools feature high performance design elements such as:

• energy use reduction of 25.8 percent through high-efficiency water-source heat pumps, solar hot-water preheat, increased envelope insulation, and efficient lighting with motion and daylight sensors;
• dual-flush toilets, pint-flush urinals, and ultra low-flow lavatories projected to reduce water consumption by 48 percent, or 471,000 gallons annually;
• carbon dioxide sensors and outdoor airflow monitors to improve the ventilation of indoor air spaces;
• enlarged windows, light shelves, and tubular skylights to provide the core learning spaces lighting levels through higher quality, natural daylight