Europe’s First LEED-Certified School

The first school in Europe built to LEED for Schools standards was recently awarded a Gold certification, according to a recent USGBC news release. The school in question—Istituto Tecnico Commerciale “Floriani,” located in Trentino, Italy—becomes the first Italian building to achieve such a high certification.

“With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation,” said USGBC President, CEO & Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi. “Students attending the [Istituto] will experience firsthand the benefits of green building and will thrive in a healthier, more productive environment. The [Istituto] efficiently uses natural resources and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which benefits not only today’s students, but generations to come.”

The school project, commissioned by Trento province, was implemented with assistance from Trentino Technology District for Energy and the Environment (Habitech Distretto Tecnologico Trentino per L’energia e L’ambiente), a sustainability consultancy.

The school’s design incorporates many green design features, including a green roof; a tank for rainwater collection and reuse in irrigation and for flushing toilets; external paving surfaces with a high solar reflectance to minimize the building’s heat island effect; low-flow bathroom fixtures; and dedicated waste collection areas on the building’s various floors. In addition, rapidly renewable materials were incorporated into the building’s design where possible, and individual thermostats installed in the building’s classrooms allow for greater thermal comfort. Meanwhile, during the building’s construction, project managers took care to ensure the recycling of construction materials.

Three other schools in Italy are currently undergoing LEED certification, the release said.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com