The new 60,000-sf science building at John Tyler Community College in Midlothian, Va., just earned LEED Silver, the first facility in the Commonwealth’s community college system to earn this recognition. The facility, designed by Burt Hill with Gilbane Building Co. as construction manager, houses an entire floor of laboratory classrooms, plus a new library, student lounge, and bookstore. Sustainable features include a green roof, oversize windows for daylighting, low-VOC materials, high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, native landscaping, and showers and changing rooms for those wishing to use alternative transportation—there are plenty of bike racks. The school also set aside parking spaces for fuel-efficient and low-emission vehicles.
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