LEED Gold-Design Features

The Garland Campus shares in the Richland College vision to be the best place we can be to learn, teach, and build sustainable local and world community through a commitment to social equity and justice, economic viability, and environmental vitality. We help prepare corporate and workforce training students to become responsible citizens committed to promoting a robust natural environment and an abundant quality of life for future generations.

The Richland College Garland Campus is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold building. It is our intent that the systems and operations of this building function in efficient ways producing minimal impact to the environment, while teaching our students and the community how buildings can function in ways that are friendly, carbon neutral, and sustaining to the environment.

LEED-Gold design features of this building are
  • white reflective roof and limited western exposure to reduce the sun’s heat effects on the cooling system;
  • location immediately adjacent to the Downtown Garland DART Rail station to promote use of public transportation;
  • bike racks to encourage alternate transportation not dependent on fossil fuels;
  • showers for the convenience of bike riders;
  • external light shelves and light monitors to manage daylight and minimize electrical use and costs;
  • use of only green, environmentally friendly cleaning products;
  • restroom motion-sensor faucets and double-flush toilets to conserve water use;
  • waterless urinals to save up to 20,000 gallons of water per year per fixture;
  • building construction materials contain low VOC (volatile organic compounds) levels, reducing pollutants and improving indoor air quality for occupants;
  • renewable resources such as bamboo flooring;
  • evaporative water chiller eliminates need for a cooling tower;
  • collection of air handler evaporative condensate to provide make-up water for the chiller; and
  • rainwater collection from roof and parking lot in a 20,000 gallon underground cistern for use in landscape irrigation.