Community Corner

University Place Library Gets LEED Certification

The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the library with the full certification.

(Editor's note: This comes from the )

This month, Pierce County Library System earned LEED certification —Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design at the silver certification level for University Place Pierce County Library.

In February 2011, the University Place Library, at the Civic and Library Building at 3609 Market Place W., opened with many sustainability building practices.

Find out what's happening in University Placewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This month the U.S. Green Building Council awarded the UP Library with full certification for LEED silver. The new 15,000 square foot library offers spaces and places for people to learn, study and connect in an environment created with sustainable building elements. Some of the LEED elements include: 

  • Heat island: 100 percent underground parking and a light colored roof help keep the building cool in summer months and reduces overall energy use. 
  • Water use reduced: Low-flow toilets and other elements in the restrooms help to reduce water use by a projected 44 percent compared with conventional fixtures. 
  • Construction waste: More than 95 percent of the construction debris was kept out of landfills.
  • Recycled content materials: 30 percent of the total cost of all building materials came from recycled materials including some furniture, flooring, doors and carpet.
  • Local/Regional materials: Local building materials and re-used bookshelves make up 34 percent of the total cost of all building materials used and this benefitted business in the region.

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources.

Find out what's happening in University Placewith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from University Place