Green Building Projects Thrive Despite Recession
Environmental Leader, July 21, 2009
What do an office building, an office and retail complex and an opera house have in common? Green features, including future LEED certification. Despite current economic conditions, building owners are moving forward with their renovation and new building plans to incorporate energy-saving and eco-friendly upgrades to save money in the long-term.
Demonstrating its leadership in green building design and certification, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the Platinum certification of its new Washington, D.C. headquarters, making it the first project to certify under the latest version of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system.
USGBC said the new office space triples the size of its previous space, reflective of the green building industry itself, which is projected to reach $60 billion by 2010. Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & founding chair, USGBC, said in a statement: "The vision of the space was to exemplify everything a LEED building is: high-performing, resource-efficient, healthy and productive." Click here for photos of the new USGBC headquarters.
The 75,000 square foot office, divided between two floors, is connected by an open staircase in the lobby, behind which is one of the space's most prominent design features: a two-story tall water feature, which helps bring the outdoors inside the space, said USGBC.
Posted in: on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at at 6:55 AM
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