Going for the LEED Gold

The AECI project was able to achieve LEED Gold. This is one the first office buildings of this scale to achieve LEED gold in this area. The following are the sustainable items that were part of the building’s design.

One of the most significant decisions made during the design of the new AECI building was the decision to design an HVAC system that utilizes geothermal energy from the ground. For this project, it is projected that operation of the building could achieve as much as 42% cost savings over a typical non geothermal forced air system.

• Since a considerable amount of the energy consumed within a building is contributed to the lighting of the building, high efficient light fixtures were specified. Lighting controls and occupancy sensors will turn lights on and off as needed. Appliances were also specified with the ENERGY STAR label.

• Cool roofing material was also specified to avoid the “heat up” of the building and eliminate the need to upsize and run the cooling equipment longer.

• The building envelope was designed for a R-37 for the walls and a R-26 for the roof.

• 95% of trash that was generated during construction away from the local landfills to alternative locations were segregated materials such as cardboard, wood, plastic, and glass could be recycled into other useful products for consumers

• 20% of all materials was procured regionally or within 500 miles.