Standards & Compliance Briefing: LEED Comments, ISO 50001, IEC 61646, ISO 14001

The 4th public comment period for LEED 2012, the updated version of USBGC’s green building program expected to launch this fall, will run from May 1 until May 15. The draft of LEED 2012 will include final technical revisions based on feedback, and updates to credit requirements, USBGC said.

The new College Park Center at The University of Texas at Arlington, (pictured) has earned LEED Gold certification. The $78 million, 7,000-seat special events center was built with 42 percent locally sourced building material and an 85 percent recycling rate for construction waste, the university said.

Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center has earned LEED Gold certification, saying it is the largest new construction healthcare project in the world to be gold-certified. Features of the facility include the landscaping and building of several green roofs, capturing of air handler condensation for water reuse, and water-saving faucets and toilets that use 30 percent less water than conventional plumbing, the university said.

Posty Cards’ greeting card manufacturing facility in Kansas City, Mo., has earned LEED platinum certification for its expansion and renovation project. The facility, which grew from 22,000 to 45,000 square feet, is projected to have just a five percent increase in energy use. The building has installed a solar PV system that generates more than 11 percent of total power use, along with solar-heated water and high-efficiency variable refrigerant volume HVAC, the company said.

Quality and safety services provider Intertek is now accredited by the Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (SWEDAC) to provide third-party auditing and certification of ISO 50001. Billerud Karlsborg, a pulp and paper manufacturer, was the first customer to become certified by Intertek to the ISO 50001 standard, the company said.

Konarka Technologies’ Power Plastic organic solar film has passed IEC 61646 stress tests for photovoltaic thin-film modules. Testing was conducted by TUV Rheinland in its solar energy assessment center in Cologne, Germany, the company said.

Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) announced that its ISO 14001 and 18001 certificates have been extended across the entire ports unit following an review of the unit’s health, safety and environment management systems. Lloyd’s Register EMEA conducted the audit, ADPC said.

Menlo Worldwide Logistics announced that its Lean Supply Chain Management Center in Aurora, Ill., has been awarded ISO 14001 certification. The Aurora office is the first Menlo facility to earn the certification.