Green Options » LEED-CI

LEED Double Platinum for Construction Offices

Philip Proefrock — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:48:33 +0000

The headquarters of a construction firm in Michigan has the distinction of being the first building to achieve LEED “double platinum” certification. What is more, according to the company, the cost of construction was no greater than conventional building practices.

The Christman Construction offices in Lansing MI occupy roughly half of the 64,000 square foot building which was initially built in 1928. The project cost $12 million, and also benefited from brownfield credits as well as state and federal historic preservation tax credits.

Kimball Office Showroom Opens Green in San Francisco

Keith Rockmael — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:34:30 +0000

With little fanfare, Kimball Office opened their new San Francisco FiDi showroom with a quiet, green splash. Although they haven’t achieved LEED-CI status yet, they hope to gain gold certification soon. The architectural and design team over at Huntsman Architectural Group created a green space that we noticed as we stepped in. The design team reused stair posts to create the dramatic floor and 100% of the architectural wood elements are FSC certified. We even like the fact that they baked the oak instead of using chemical stain to achieve the deep, rich color.

It’s not often that we’re giddy about stepping into a bathroom but theirs has a gray (recycled) water system that reuses used sink water for the low-flow toilet. Kimball SF’s low-flow fixtures reduce their water consumption by a whopping 75%.

As Kimball sells office furniture it only makes sense for them to sell low or non-toxic furniture. About half of their display represents green furnishings. We would like to see this figure closer to 100%.

Even so, the SF Kimball office represents just another in a growing line of green Kimball Office showrooms as their Jasper, Indiana office rated Gold while the Chicago office earned a silver certification. Hopefully, their New York location will garner a gold certification.

USGBC’s New D.C. Headquarters Go Platinum

Preston Koerner — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:26:57 +0000

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) can now hold itself out as an example of what green building is all about. The USGBC has a 22,000 square-foot office suite in the LEED Gold for New Construction (LEED-NC) Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Building. What's more incredible is that the USGBC's office suite just obtained LEED Platinum for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI). So the building is gold on the outside and platinum on the inside. That's a fairly powerful combination.

President, CEO & Founding Chair of the USGBC, Rick Fedrizzi, said: "We wanted to walk our talk by providing a highly functional, healthy and enjoyable work environment. We are already seeing an increase in collaboration and productivity as a result of the design scheme." The inside schematic is designed to foster interaction and collaboration, in an environmentally friendly way. Designed by Perkins + Will and contracted by Davis Construction, this office space is above and beyond any ordinary space. Here's a list of some of the green features:

Renewable bamboo flooring
Reused granite countertops
Non-toxic paint on the walls
Abundant natural light (93% of the interior has a view of the outdoors)
Recyclable ceiling tiles
High-efficiency and low-energy use lighting
Low-flow plumbing fixtures, dual-flush toilets, and waterless urinals
Terrazzo flooring in the elevator lobby
Fully recyclable carpet tiles and cork fooring

One of the goals with the project was to create space that was not only green, but good looking. As green buildings, homes, and interiors become more prevalent, green materials are getting better and more available. Not to mention modern and aesthetic as well. Via GreenSource + USGBC.

Photo Credit: Sara Harding/USGBC