LEED Roundup: Willow Creek, Franklin Center, 3rd Federal Bank

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 the Willow Creek office building, Franklin Center office complex and 3rd Federal Bank.

The USGBC reported this week (Nov. 11) that the LEED Green Building Rating System surpassed one-billion square-feet of commercial project certifications. Another six-billion square-feet of projects are registered and are currently working toward LEED certification around the world.

Since the program was first introduced in 2000, more than 36,000 commercial projects and 38,000 single-family homes have participated in LEED.

Here are highlights from three of the most recent buildings to receive LEED certifications.

The Willow Creek office building renovation has earned the LEED-CS Silver Certification with the help of Smith Consulting Architects, reports World Interior Design Network. The San Diego, California, office building exceeds Title 24 Energy Standards by 26 percent, which contributed to the building’s qualification for LEED-CS Silver status.

The renovation was commissioned by Pacific Office Properties Trust. The renovation project integrated several high-performance technologies that significantly reduced energy use, lowered water consumption, and enhanced indoor air quality, according to the article. Design features include efficient lighting fixtures, water-saving plumbing fixtures in restrooms, and low-maintenance landscaping.

In Chicago, Illinois, Tishman Speyer’s 2.5-million-square-foot Franklin Center office complex has earned the LEED-EB Silver certification. The property also earned an Energy Star label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Thanks to several sustainable measures, the office complex has reduced its annual energy consumption by nearly 2 million kWh and water use by 5.4 million gallons per year.

The office complex also expanded the building’s recycling program to include batteries, electronic waste, printer toner, furniture and construction debris, in addition to light bulbs, office paper and other waste. The building has recycled more than 870,000 pounds of material over the past year, diverting over 1,300 cubic yards of waste from the landfill.

The building also implemented a Green Cleaning policy to improve air quality and to ensure the purchase of sustainable cleaning and janitorial paper supplies.

The 3rd Federal Bank’s Woodhaven branch in Philadelphia recently received the Gold LEED certification. The branch is the bank’s first LEED effort, according to the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC).

The 3,028-square-ft. bank branch LEED project incorporated several sustainable measures for building materials, lighting, HVAC and plumbing, according to DVGBC.

The project used recycled materials, regionally available materials, which reduce the energy impact of shipping, and rapidly renewable resources such as bamboo flooring. The building also incorporated energy-efficient fluorescent lighting and motion sensors that turn off lights when rooms are not occupied, as well as carbon monoxide sensors and high performance air handling units and filters.

The branch also features low-flow plumbing fixtures such as dual flush toilets and sensor controlled sinks to cut down on water consumption, and uses natural light through high clerestory windows and interior glass walls.

Other site features include rain gardens for storm water management and designated parking for fuel-efficient/low carbon emitting vehicles and indigenous and drought-resistant planting materials that do not require an irrigation system.

The branch also unveiled artwork made from recycled materials by local artist Scott Bickmore and students from The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush.

Here’s a link to EL’s previous roundup of LEED buildings.