On May 6, the U.S. Green Building Council announced that T. A. Brown Elementary School was awarded with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.
LEED is the most widely used green building rating system globally and an international symbol of excellence. Through design, construction and operations practices that improve environmental and human health, LEED-certified buildings are helping to make the world more sustainable.
“We are proud to announce that T. A. Brown Elementary has received its LEED Gold certification,” said Drew Johnson, Austin ISD’s director of bond planning. “T.A. Brown’s motto, ‘A Green School rooted in STEAM and Outdoor Learning,’ became the foundation for the vision that the Project Team carried through design completion. This certification highlights our commitment to 21st-century learning spaces that connect education with sustainability and encourage a future of environmental stewardship.”
T. A. Brown achieved LEED certification by implementing practical and measurable strategies including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Green buildings allow schools to operate more sustainably and create a healthier, more comfortable space for students. The newly constructed school opened in January 2020 and was the first modernization project completed as part of the 2017 Bond Program.
The facility features natural resources such as rain that is turned into steam, which reduces energy use for heating and cooling. Other indoor and outdoor features include a nature loop trail, nature playscape, dry creek bed, learning pond, water cistern, condensate water reuse, and daylighting by using natural sunlight to provide internal lighting.
Austin ISD began green building with the 2004 Bond program and anticipates a total of 48 certified green buildings in the district by the end of the 2017 Bond Program. All major renovations and new construction projects are targeted for green building certifications by LEED and Austin Energy Green Building.
Congratulations to T. A. Brown on this incredible achievement!
