October 23, 2009 The headquarters of ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, have been awarded a LEED Platinum Certification in the New Construction 2.2 rating system.
The Society’s office building in Atlanta, Georgia, which underwent a major renovation in 2008, is one of only six buildings in the state of Georgia to receive a LEED Platinum rating, the highest certification the program offers. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a program of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit which seeks to promote green building practices.
In order to qualify for the highly sought-after Platinum certification, ASHRAE took into consideration a number of concerns such as energy use, heat island reduction, water efficient landscaping, material reuse and water use reduction, to name just few.
ASHRAE addressed these issues, among others, by installing a cool, white reflective roof membrane to minimize heat island effects; updating the landscaping and eliminating the need for landscaping irrigation; retaining more than 75 percent of the existing building structure as part of this renovation; and reducing its estimated overall annual water consumption per year by almost 50 percent by utilizing low-flow fixtures throughout building. Additionally, the ASHRAE headquarters received bonus points for innovation and design.
As a leader in energy efficient technology, ASHRAE viewed its headquarters renovation as the perfect way to “walk the talk.” The 34,500-square-foot building, built originally in 1965, now acts as a showcase of energy efficiency and sustainability through its living lab-which provides recourses on building, system and equipment performance-and learning center.
For more information, see the ASHRAE Web site.
