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In This Issue: Study Proves Green Buildings Pay Off Montgomery County Schools Pass the Green Test Local Architects Design Energy-Efficient Data Center Study Proves Green Buildings Pay Off  
Green building is good business. A new study by real estate information provider CoStar Group, Inc., proves it. Green building practices enhance the value of the building process throughout the complete design-build-manage-sell lifecycle; it's a win-win situation for everyone involved. People in sustainable buildings work smarter and cleaner; they produce more, and the buildings are worth more. The study of 1,300 LEED and Energy Star buildings showed that LEED sustainability pays off better than the U.S. Government Energy Star program:
A new DVD set titled, “Green Building Best Practices 2008” that could help you identify and formulate your strategy to have your organization start reaping the benefits of green building is now available. Details for ordering are available at www.constructionclaims.com [top] Montgomery County Schools Pass the Green Test
Construction features are noteworthy as well. For example, 86% of the material packaging and construction waste was recycled. Most building material came from sources within 500 miles of the site. Bathroom partitions are made from recycled soda bottles and laundry detergent containers. The casework is made of wheatboard, a rapidly renewable material that is environmentally friendly. Among the energy innovations is a ground water source heat pump system. Heat pumps located in small mechanical closets between classrooms are tied into a system of ten circuits that included 120 wells, each 515 feet deep and requiring 24 miles of piping. Pumps transport 13,000 gallons of fluid containing a mix of water and glycol throughout the system. In addition, the school uses Energy Star appliances and automatic controls for the energy efficient lighting system. The overall cost of the building was $215 per square foot, comparable to school construction in the area. Considering only utility savings, payback is estimated to be 8 to 10 years, but maintenance savings and health benefits add to its benefits. Currently seven more new schools in Montgomery County are registered to achieve LEED Silver certification or better and four more green schools are to follow, providing total energy savings estimated at $1 million per year. Students and teachers like Great Seneca School so much they created a virtual online tour that can be found here. Count architect for the Green Building Program is Anja S. Caldwell, who helped develop the LEED rating system for schools. [top] Photo courtesy of Montgomery County Schools Local Architects Design Energy-Efficient
In the ever-evolving process of going green, more companies are looking at developing new data centers in order to reduce their rate of energy consumption. Fox Architects, Washington, DC, recently unveiled designs for a new energy-efficient data center for Emerson, St. Louis, MO. Fox believes this data center will reduce energy consumption at the facility by 17.5%. Construction recently began on this 35,000 square-foot facility, which is the second LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-registered data center design from Fox Architects. The first was a 40,000 square-foot data center for Monsanto, which opened in the fall of 2007. Once the facility is complete, which is expected in July 2009, it will go through a final review process for LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Fox says it designed Emerson’s data center to include several green elements, which will produce energy savings, reduce operation and maintenance costs, create a better work environment and reduce environmental impact. [top] |
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Study reporters observed, "Whether you're an owner, contractor, A/E or construction manager, optimal outcome occurs when all participate together starting with the design stage." 
Operating results are in and they show that schools can be green and cool at the same time. Great Seneca Creek Elementary School has received high marks as the first school in Montgomery County, MD to earn the LEED Gold rating. Since its completion in September, 2006 the building has turned in stellar grades. Energy use is 31,310 Btu per square foot, down from the older schools of 60,000 Btu per square foot, for annual cost savings of $61,491.77. Its water use is only 6.5 gallons per square foot compared with 14 gallons for the average school.  |
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