Cascadia Community College kicks off winter quarter and a new year with an announcement that its Global Learning and the Arts Building has been awarded LEED Platinum, the highest level of certification recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council. This certification makes Cascadia’s the first LEED Platinum building in Bothell and the third higher education facility in the state.

“This award is a tremendous honor, and represents an enormous commitment by Cascadia, the project architect, and the construction team to ensure that our building met the stringent criteria established for LEED Platinum green buildings,” says Dee Sliney, Cascadia’s Director of Facilities Services and Sustainability and a LEED Accredited Professional.

LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Cascadia’s 53,400-square-foot building, which opened for classes in 2010, just received this highest level of certification after securing a final point for the addition of a photovoltaic solar array to be installed this winter.

The building boasts a variety of green features including tanks for holding rainwater for flushing toilets, green-roof gardens that provide natural cooling, re-use of felled trees from the site and the use of low-emitting materials throughout building.

“Building operations are nearly 40 percent of the solution to the global climate change challenge,” says Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “While climate change is a global problem, innovative companies like Cascadia Community College are addressing it through local solutions.”

Visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour of the building. Copies of a student-created brochure are available near the elevator on the first floor.