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Bldg. 264 leaves the complex green with envy

Alison Terrill standing in front of building (Download Image)

Alison Terrill, the Laboratory architect who led the effort to win green building certification for Bldg. 264.

A Laboratory facility — Bldg. 264 — has become the first in the Department of Energy complex to achieve certification as a green building under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) new rating system for existing buildings.

The designation is granted only to buildings that demonstrate superior performance in five principal areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, waste management/sustainable purchasing and indoor environmental quality.

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization that promotes a sustainable building environment within a generation. USGBC is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, and its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™. USGBC’s LEED certification process is one of the methods the Laboratory may use to help achieve the sustainability goals set forth by Executive Order 13423 and DOE Order 430.2B.

Bldg. 264 provides office space for Operations & Business’ Facilities Management organization and the ESH&Q organization. It was LEED certified following nearly five months of review by USGBC. The review addressed areas such as recycling, plumbing fixtures and fitting efficiency, water efficient landscaping, stormwater management, energy efficiency best management practices, sustainable purchasing, indoor air systems, cleaning products and materials and refrigerant management — ozone protection.

"The research and documentation of Bldg. 264’s performance as part of the LEED certification process was extremely challenging," said Alison Terrill, principal architect in O&B’s Project Management, Engineering & Construction Department in the Facilities & Infrastructure Directorate. Terrill performed the studies required by USGBC and prepared the application for LEED certification.

"One benefit of that process was that several sustainability policies and procedures — such as ‘green cleaning’ by minimizing the use of toxic chemicals — were formalized into Laboratory pilot programs."

"Congratulations are in order to Alison and others in Facilities & Infrastructure for their work in obtaining this certification," said Frank Russo, principal associate director for the Operations & Business Principal Directorate, "as well as to the Lab for achieving international recognition for its commitment to keeping our buildings running efficiently and to providing a safe and healthy workplace for Lab personnel, while minimizing environmental impact."

The Lab will receive a plaque from the USGBC that will be mounted in Bldg. 264 to mark its LEED certification.

 

Feb. 27, 2009

Contact

Gordon Yano
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