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GOING GREEN
Why Live Green?
The Center's Green Features
Tours
What's Up With the Solar Panels?
LEED Gold Certification
Resources
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LEED Gold Certification
About LEED
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is an internationally recognized rating system to promote sustainable construction and design standards.
LEED standards are grouped into six major categories:
| - Sustainable Sites |
- Water Efficiency |
| - Energy & Atmosphere |
- Materials & Resources |
| - Indoor Environmental Quality |
- Innovation & Design |
Points are awarded in the above categories which are then translated into certification levels:
- Certified
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
For more information on LEED Certification:
U.S. Green Building Council
Natural Resources Defense Council
The High Point Center and LEED
The High Point Center has been designed to meet LEED Gold certification standards.
From the very beginning, years before construction began, Neighborhood House gathered environmentalists, architects, staff, volunteers, builders and community members to help design a building like no other.
The vision of the new center is simple: create a building that meets the needs of the High Point community while leaving the smallest imprint on the Earth. The innovative design process was implemented with the following goals in place:
- Use environmentally friendly building materials that help maintain carbon balance
- Employ technology to create a hyper-efficient building that can also generate energy for itself
- Minimize the impact on the Earth with a focus on protection of soil, water and air; minimize the introduction of toxins into the ecosystem; and maintain the natural biodiversity of the area
- Use the center to teach sustainability. This will be accomplished by the integration of art and interactive educational features throughout the inside and outside of the building
With these goals in mind, the High Point Center is a community building like no other in the country. It is a center built specifically for a low-income, largely refugee and immigrant community, and it includes some of the most up-to-date green technologies and features in the world.
Technologies include the largest array of solar panels atop a building in the entire state of Washington, a ground source heat pump system and triple-paned windows. Other features include permeable paving materials, recycling materials during construction and saving over 100 mature trees in the area. Neighborhood House has even created lease agreements that require all tenants to recycle and use ENERGY STAR-compliant products.
Visit our Going Green section to read more about the High Point Center's green features.
To take a tour of the center and its environmental features, please visit our Tours Page.
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