March 12, 2003—The US Green Building Council awarded the second-highest LEED rating to American Honda Motor Company’s Northwest Regional Facility in late 2002. To date, only three previously registered LEED projects have received this distinction from the USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
Honda’s facility, located in Gresham, Oregon (just outside of Portland), sits on a 17-acre site and includes an 18,000 sq. ft. office space, 25,000 sq. ft. training center, and a 135,000 sq. ft. warehouse with a 33,000 sq. ft. mezzanine.
Some of the prominent “green” features incorporated into the facility include:
- The use of “gray water,” which involves harvesting and filtrating rainwater to use for landscape irrigation and as a source of water for toilets and urinals.
- Installation of light shelves to maximize natural daylight by projecting light sources into the office interior.
- Most of the fabrics within the facility contain 100% recycled content
- A concrete slab in the office area is depressed 18″ to allow for the installation of a raised access floor. Outside air passes under the floor to be heated or cooled as needed and is then filtered into the office space through grills near the finished floor.
- Honda set a target of 50% recycling of construction waste material. Overall, 99.8% of the total construction waste was recycled.
To date, over 25 projects have received LEED certification and over 500 projects are currently registered for the process, representing over 60 million square feet of space worldwide.
