February 27, 2007

STANTEC

Green features begin in the reception area. Highlights include rapidly renewable bamboo flooring, reused granite countertops and non-toxic paint on the walls.

Sustainable design at U.S. Green Building Council

Canadian design team puts its best foot forward in D.C.

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

A Stantec team from Toronto has put its sustainable design skills to good use in creation of new corporate headquarters for the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) in Washington, D.C.

The offices house employees of the U.S.’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable building design and construction.

Stantec provided the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering design for the 30,000-square-foot space. Part of a large team of sustainable design and construction professionals, including Perkins Will Architects, Stantec helped deliver this fast-track renovation project in just seven months.

This month, the project obtained LEED Platinum certification, the highest possible rating for sustainable design features, sharing this distinction with only approximately 25 buildings in North America.

The renovated offices will accommodate USGBC staff that has tripled in size to more than 110 in recent years. The organization insisted its new offices showcase many of the sustainable design features that it promotes and reviews for hundreds of projects worldwide.

“As the developers of the LEED rating system, it was very important for USGBC’s headquarters to be in a LEED-certified space,” said Rick Fedrizzi, the council’s president, CEO and founding chair.

“We wanted to walk our talk by providing a highly functional, healthy and enjoyable work environment.”

The green features begin at the reception area. Highlights include rapidly renewable bamboo flooring, reused granite countertops and non-toxic paint on the walls.

Visitors are greeted by a “Thank You” wall that highlights the companies that donated time and materials.

Employees in the open workspace areas enjoy abundant natural daylight and operable windows. Natural daylight and outdoor views have been associated with higher rates of productivity.

Office furniture from the previous space was reused. Ceiling tiles are recyclable. All lighting products are engineered for efficiency and low energy use.

The individual task lights allow employees to control the amount of light within their work area.

Materials were chosen for both their aesthetic contribution and 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 carpet tiles.

The project achieved LEED Platinum in the commercial interiors category.

“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 council said.

Services provided by Stantec included design of all systems and controls related to energy and water consumption and conservation including plumbing, lighting, heating, and cooling. Some features include:

• Variable-air volume diffusers, operable windows, and perimeter fan coil units that provide individual control within the predominantly open layout.

• Low-flow plumbing fixtures such as dual flush toilets and waterless urinals.

• Light fixtures chosen for their ability to reduce energy consumption.

• Natural daylighting in more than 90 per cent of the spaces.

• Occupancy sensors that further reduce the energy load within the spaces and daylight sensors within perimeter light fixtures.

• Indoor air quality monitoring to provide information to guide maintenance of the mechanical systems.

Stantec has one of the largest integrated building design teams in North America, currently with more than 260 LEED-accredited professionals.

To date, Stantec has been involved with more than 30 projects that have achieved LEED certification and dozens more which are targeting certification.

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