Here’s the latest roundup of some of the most recent businesses and office buildings that have earned the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. These include Schneider, SKF, Legg Mason, MasterCard, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Here are highlights for each LEED certification project.
Schneider Electric's LaVergne facility has earned LEED Silver certification, with the help of many of the systems it designs and manufactures at the plant, reports The Daily News Journal. It is also the North America headquarters of Schneider Electric's lighting and whole-home control business.
These systems include occupancy sensors, a schedule-based Powerlink lighting control system, and PowerLogic monitoring systems to establish an energy use baseline used to monitor and measure performance and help identify future opportunities for efficiency, according to the article.
In addition, Schneider installed its Andover Continuum building management system to enable the company to review real-time energy use and compare information regarding previously used energy.
Other sustainable features cited in the article for the 55,000-square-foot facility include the installation of bi-level and lower wattage lighting with occupancy sensors to reduce electricity consumption and LED exit lights, and use of sustainable construction materials including carpet and flooring made with recycled fiber, low-VOC paint, and wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
The company also installed water-conserving faucets and plumbing fixtures, which are estimated to save over 40 percent of the water used by conventional fixtures. The facility also implemented a "green" cleaning policy.
SKF USA is touted as the first commercial building in Pennsylvania to achieve Platinum level certification under LEED for Commercial Interiors and one of only 60 worldwide.
The company also announced plans to build a new $2-million rooftop solar panel project that is scheduled to be completed in April 2011. The state's Commonwealth Financing Authority has approved a $346,000 Solar Energy Program Grant to help SKF finance the new project.
Here are several sustainable design and construction features included in the 117,000-square-foot headquarters facility: a geothermal heating/HVAC system, consisting of 112 500-foot deep wells that is expected to save more than 30 percent on heating and cooling costs, daylight harvesting combined with high efficiency lighting that saves 30 to 40 percent in lighting energy consumption over traditional lighting systems, and water-efficient fixtures that consume 44 percent less water than conventional fixtures, saving an estimated 278,000 gallons per year.
The project also used low emitting Greenguard quality refurbished furniture, Forest Stewardship Council-certified flooring and doors, and diverted 93 percent of waste materials from landfills. In addition, 90 percent of all furniture equipment in the Lansdale facility is Energy Star-rated including the fluorescent lights that use 75 percent less energy than incandescent fixtures.
Legg Mason's Baltimore headquarters has earned LEED Gold certification for the space it occupies at Harbor East. The base building has achieved Silver certification.
Legg Mason's Harbor East facility has installed low-flow water fixtures that reduce use by more than 20 percent and state-of-the-art video conferencing to reduce business travel.
The company also has invested in renewable energy that is equal to 100 percent of the electrical power that the facility uses. Nearly 30 percent of the total building materials content were manufactured using recycled materials and were sourced from local manufacturers where possible.
In addition, the facility's open floorplan layouts and extensive use of glass allow more than 95 percent of all spaces to have a direct line of sight to the exterior, maximizing the use of natural light and reducing the need for electricity.
MasterCard Worldwide's main technology campus in O’Fallon, Missouri, has achieved LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EBOM).
The 550,000-square-foot MasterCard Technologies campus, which is the company's largest facility and home to its main data center, is the first project in Missouri to earn LEED-EBOM Gold certification, according to the company.
Sustainable features and practices include the use of occupancy sensors, dual low-flush valves on toilets and urinals, roofing material with a high-reflectance value, Green Seal standard cleaning products, and an integrated pest-management program that focuses on environmentally friendly spray chemicals and traps.
The campus also recycles about 50 percent of waste by weight, including paper, cardboard, aluminum, plastic, glass, batteries, wood pallets, light bulbs, and kitchen cooking oil, while 100 percent of shredded documents are recycled. The facility also composts all non-protein and yard waste on site. It also has eliminated styrofoam and disposable plastic from the cafeteria and coffee kiosks.
The facility also uses restroom paper supplies containing post-consumer recycled content, and copy and printer paper that contains 30 percent post-consumer recycled content. Office furniture contains at least 10 percent post-consumer recycled content.
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation workplace has been awarded LEED Platinum certification, representing the eleventh project in California to be awarded the Platinum designation for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI).
Energy-efficiency measures include a cool roof, window film, window shades, lighting controls, light harvesting, occupancy sensor operated emergency lighting in the stairwells, a new high efficiency boiler, Energy Star appliances and equipment, enhanced commissioning, and ongoing measurement and verification measures.
Indoor environmental quality was improved by providing access to natural light and views to everyone in the building, careful selection of materials and adhesives, increased ventilation, and the implementation of green cleaning protocols.
The project also achieved a construction waste diversion rate of more than 96 percent, and a regionally manufactured material total of 40.6 percent including all of the new conference tables and casework. Nearly 73 percent of all of the wood-based products used in the remodel are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. In addition, new and refurbished restroom cores cut water use by 37.4 percent.
The project also used bamboo and cork as a replacement for wood flooring and bamboo and Kirei (sorghum straw) board are used for casework. Plaster, recycled content carpet tile, no- and low-VOC paints, FSC wood, reclaimed timber, locally harvested wood from urban forestry sources, cotton insulation, and recycled glass tile also were used in the project.
Here’s a link to EL's previous roundup of LEED buildings.
