George School is proud to announce that its Learning Commons and Mollie Dodd Anderson Library has been awarded LEED® Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute under the standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). George School is the first school in Bucks County and one of eighteen in Pennsylvania to achieve LEED certification, according to the public databases maintained by USGBC.

Completed in August of 2009, the Learning Commons and Anderson Library encompasses a library, five classrooms, and a learning center in more than 26,400 square feet. The building was designed to earn gold-level LEED certification and has received it following the standard application process.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. It provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest measures of green building and performance.

“It is incredibly satisfying to know that George School has accomplished its goal,” said 1989 George School graduate Jen Parker Holtz, who co-chaired the school’s Library Design Committee, the group that led the seven-year planning of the Anderson Library. “Through our planning process, the school community learned a great deal about the benefits of green building. Not only does the Anderson Library demonstrate good stewardship of the local environment—it also provides a healthful space for student learning.”

Studies show that green school buildings provide direct benefits to student health and performance, according to USGBC. Green buildings are thought to achieve these benefits through their use of daylight (which improves student academic performance), good indoor air quality (which improves student health), good acoustic design (which increases students’ learning potential), and comfortable indoor temperatures (which increases occupant satisfaction).

Highlights of the Anderson Library’s many green design and construction elements include the following:

• Ample use of daylight, with a visual connection to the outdoors in more than 90 percent of the spaces
• A geothermal field with forty wells that heats and cools the building
• A vegetative roof and six rain gardens that provide an environmentally friendly storm-water management system
• A state-of-the-art window covering system that monitors sunlight penetration and automatically adjusts the shades to optimize interior room lighting
• The use of recycled, regional, and Forest Stewardship Council certified materials

The Anderson Library achieved forty-eight points under the LEED for Schools Rating System. Forty-four were required for gold-level certification. One of nine different rating systems offered by USGBC, LEED for Schools is designed to address the specific needs of school spaces for K-12 education. The USGBC databases report that George School’s library is one of sixty-two school buildings worldwide that have been certified under LEED for Schools.

About George School
Founded in 1893 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), George School, a rigorous coed boarding and day school for grades nine through twelve, educates students from twenty-one states, thirty-four foreign countries, and a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds. Through its commitment to diversity and the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and peacemaking, George School inspires students to be led by their own truths while respecting and appreciating opinions and beliefs different from their own. George School was one of the first schools in the United States to implement an International Baccalaureate diploma program. For information about admission, please call 215.579.6547 or visit http://www.georgeschool.org.