National Landmark Building, U.S. Treasury Building, Earns LEED Gold

by | Dec 22, 2011

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The 19th-century U.S. Treasury Building – a National Historic Landmark neighboring the White House – was awarded LEED Gold certification. The USGBC believes that the Treasury Building is the oldest building in the world to receive LEED certification, the Department of the Treasury said.

The certification adds more than eight billion square feet of green building space to the USGBC registry, and the total cost avoidance associated with these efficiency improvements are estimated to produced an annual savings to taxpayers of more than $3.5 million.

Project results, compared to a FY2008 baseline, include a 43 percent decrease in the use of potable water, a 7 percent decrease in electrical usage, a 53 percent decrease in the use of steam, and the addition of 164 workstations in the building (offsetting leased space costs), the department said.

The historic building underwent a number of green construction and operations upgrades, including: the increased use of natural day lighting, sustainable cleaning and landscape programs,  HVAC systems upgrades, waste stream audits, and the development of a green procurement program for materials, equipment and services.

The building, at 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, is more than two city blocks long and was constructed over a period of 33 years between 1836 and 1869.

Another notable sustainable reinvention of an historic building space this year came with the LEED certification at The Empire State Building. The landmark earned LEED Gold in September, and a Green Power Leadership Award from the EPA in November.

Photo: Department of the Treasury

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