February 13, 2007 - (Washington, DC) - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the creators of the LEED Green Building Rating System, announces that its new Washington, DC headquarters has earned LEED Platinum Commercial Interiors certification for its office suite. The suite is located within the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) building, which is also a LEED building, having earned LEED Gold for New Construction last month.
"The phenomenal growth of the Council's membership and corresponding increase in staff mirrors the growth of the practice of green building," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, USGBC. "We wanted to walk our talk by providing a highly functional, healthy and enjoyable work environment. We are already seeing an increase in collaboration and productivity as a result of the design scheme."
The new space offers 22,000 square feet of open work areas and underscores USGBC's commitment to green building innovations. All common spaces are centrally located to provide opportunities for impromptu collaboration between departments. In addition, spaces are multi-functional: offices double as conference rooms, the kitchen and library can be used as meeting space and the conference rooms offer a work space.
"As the developers of the LEED rating system, it was very important for USGBC's headquarters to be in a LEED certified space," noted Fedrizzi.
The green features begin at the reception area. Highlights include rapidly renewable bamboo flooring; reused granite countertops; non-toxic paint on the walls. Visitors are also greeted by a "Thank You" wall that highlights the companies whose generous donations of time and materials contribute to the innovative and attractive workplace.
Employees in the open workspace areas enjoy abundant natural daylight and operable windows and 93% of the interior has a view of the outdoors. Natural daylight and outdoor views have been associated with higher rates of productivity.
Office furniture from the previous space was reused and the ceiling tiles are recyclable. All lighting products are engineered for high efficiency and low energy use, and individual task lights allow employees to control the amount of light within their work area. The new office uses 40% less water via low-flow plumbing fixtures, dual-flush toilets, and waterless urinals.
The materials used in the office space were chosen both for their aesthetic contribution and their green attributes. Salvaged wood timbers create a screened forest wall around an elliptical conference room. Glass panels and millwork from the previous tenants enjoy a new life when reused in the pantry and copy room, as does the existing terrazzo flooring in the elevator lobby. Rapidly renewable bamboo, linoleum, and cork flooring are installed throughout the space, along with fully recyclable, state-of-the-art carpet tiles.
Green building tours of the suite will be available to the public to showcase USGBC's green building principles. The new office demonstrates how environmentally preferred green materials and highly efficient systems can transform an ordinary office space into an extraordinary place to work and learn.
The interior architect was Perkins & Will and the contractor was Davis Construction. USGBC also wishes to thank the following generous sponsors who have made the new energy-efficient office space possible: 3form; Aircuity; American Standard; Armstrong Commercial Ceiling Systems; Benjamin Moore Paints; Bosch Home Appliances; Charles M Salter Associates, Inc.; Columbia Forest Products; Cooper Lighting; ECFBN, Inc.; Forbo Flooring; Formica Corporation; Greenlight Strategies; Haworth; Humanscale; IceStone LLC; Initial Tropical Plants Inc.; InterfaceFLOR; James G. Davis Construction Corporation: JRL Worldwide: Knauf Insulation; Knoll, Inc.; OSRAM SYLVANIA; Paul Tseng, LEED AP; Perkins+Will; Sloan Valve Company; Stantec; TerraMai - Reclaimed Woods from Around the World and walltalkers, a division of RJF International Corporation; Excel Dryer Inc.; SCA Tissue and RCJ.
About LEED
The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating SystemT is a feature-oriented rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. The five major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category. LEED can be applied to various building applications including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments and building operation and maintenance. LEED is currently under development for neighborhood development and homes. LEED has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the guideline for sustainable building. For more information visit our website at www.usgbc.org.
About USGBC
The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation's leading coalition of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 7,700 member companies and organizations, a 75-person professional staff, a broad portfolio of LEED® products and services, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, and a network of over 70 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups.
###
|