The new Terminal 2 at Oakland International Airport (OAK) in California was recently awarded LEED-Silver certification by the USGBC, according to a recent blog post.  It is the first airport passenger terminal in the United States to be awarded a silver certification, the post said.

The terminal—housing Southwest Airlines’ gates at the airport—achieved the certification for conserving energy, materials, and water, and incorporating other sustainable strategies.

The executive director of the Port of Oakland, Omar Benjamin, explained in the post how the new Terminal 2 at OAK signifies the Port’s commitment to sustainability: “The Port of Oakland’s environmental leadership is exemplified through this prestigious award. Our investment in state-of-the-art green building practices will result in long-term savings of energy, water, and operating costs that will continue throughout the life of Terminal 2. Additionally, our community is benefiting as we are reducing the airport’s operational impact on the environment.”

OAK’s Terminal 2 extension and renovation earned a Silver certification for a host of sustainable features, including energy efficiency measures that exceed California energy standards by 25 percent and reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 211 tons yearly; diversion from landfills of more than 80 percent of jobsite waste; 24 percent less water use than a conventionally built terminal; use of low-VOC paints, carpets, glue, cabinetry, and plywood throughout; an advanced stormwater treatment system that channels runoff into swales that remove waterborne pollutants; and establishment of a “green housekeeping” program to reduce environmental and health impacts of cleaning products and chemicals.

Terminal 2, completed in 2007, added 108,000 square feet of space to the airport, including seven new gates; an expanded ticketing and passenger screening area; a centralized food, beverage, and retail shopping area. Together, these areas add significant capacity to a facility that is the fourth-largest of its kind in the state of California.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

A brand new Chrysler plant in Michigan that will produce a high-efficiency engine has also earned a LEED Gold certification, according to a recent article. This makes it the first engine manufacturing facility to earn a LEED certification.

The $364 million Trenton South assembly plant outside of Detroit will become the home of the new Pentastar V6 Engine, which will first be used in 2011 models of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the article said. Eventually, 800 employees will work at the facility.

The Trenton South plant is one of only four auto plants to receive a LEED certification. Built on a brownfield site, with a significant percentage of recycled materials incorporated into its design, the plant will emit less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than a conventionally built plant, to the tune of more than 12,000 metric tons per year. Specifically, 44 percent of building materials included recycled content, and the new plant will lower total energy use by 39 percent, resulting in a savings of over $1.25 million per year. Also, total water use has been reduced by 1.5 million gallons per year compared to the previous manufacturing facility.

“The Trenton South Engine Plant has established a new industry benchmark for efficient, environmentally conscious design," said Scott Garberding, Head of Manufacturing, Chrysler Group LLC, in a press release. "This Gold certification is tangible evidence of Chrysler's dedication to the environment and to the well-being of our surrounding communities.”

During construction, more than 90 percent of construction waste (amounting to about 6,750 tons) was recycled and diverted from landfills. As part of Chrysler’s ongoing commitment to reduce waste, the plant will divert more than 670 tons of waste from landfills as part of its day-to-day operations, the release said.

Other green features of the Trenton South plant include the fact that over 80 percent of the building materials were procured from regional sources, and the incorporation of high-performance insulation and high-efficiency lighting into its design. Outside, the building’s impact on its site has been softened with the planting of native grasses and trees, while the building itself features a white roof membrane and is surrounded by light-colored hardscape, to lessen the facility’s contribution to the heat island effect.

The Trenton South plant was designed by architectural services firms BEI Associates of Detroit and Harley Ellis Devereaux of Southfield, Michigan. The facility was constructed by Walbridge, also of Detroit.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

The first school in Europe built to LEED for Schools standards was recently awarded a Gold certification, according to a recent USGBC news release. The school in question—Istituto Tecnico Commerciale “Floriani,” located in Trentino, Italy—becomes the first Italian building to achieve such a high certification.

“With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation,” said USGBC President, CEO & Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi. “Students attending the [Istituto] will experience firsthand the benefits of green building and will thrive in a healthier, more productive environment. The [Istituto] efficiently uses natural resources and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which benefits not only today’s students, but generations to come.”

The school project, commissioned by Trento province, was implemented with assistance from Trentino Technology District for Energy and the Environment (Habitech Distretto Tecnologico Trentino per L’energia e L’ambiente), a sustainability consultancy.

The school’s design incorporates many green design features, including a green roof; a tank for rainwater collection and reuse in irrigation and for flushing toilets; external paving surfaces with a high solar reflectance to minimize the building’s heat island effect; low-flow bathroom fixtures; and dedicated waste collection areas on the building’s various floors. In addition, rapidly renewable materials were incorporated into the building’s design where possible, and individual thermostats installed in the building’s classrooms allow for greater thermal comfort. Meanwhile, during the building’s construction, project managers took care to ensure the recycling of construction materials.

Three other schools in Italy are currently undergoing LEED certification, the release said.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

An iconic new residential tower in the Chelsea section of New York City recently received LEED certification, according to a recent Inhabitat article. The tower, known as 100 Eleventh Avenue, was designed by well-known French architect and Pritzker Prize-winner Jean Nouvel.

With a façade composed of 1,700 different panes of glass, the 23-story building—housing 73 residential units ranging in price from $1.6 million to $22 million—exemplifies the potential for green building in a dense urban environment like New York City, the article noted. In fact, the building’s glass façade stands out as the most highly engineered and technologically advanced curtain wall ever constructed in New York City.

Some of the building’s green features include extensive use of FSC-certified wood, recycled materials, low-VOC paints and carpets, and an indoor air quality management system. Through the building’s striking design and orientation toward the south and west, daylight and views are maximized for the building’s occupants.

The building’s façade caught the eye of the New York Times’ architectural critic, Nicolai Ouroussoff, who commented that “its mix of grit and glamour — embodied in a glittering facade that seems to have been wrapped around the curved front of a black brick tower like a tight-fitting sequined dress — is apt to temper whatever you may feel about the Wall Streeters and art-world insiders who are likely to move into its apartments.”

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

The newest addition to the Toledo Public Schools (TPS), Hawkins Elementary School, is aiming to receive a Gold certification under the auspices of LEED for Schools, according to a recent article on Greenprofs.com.

The $11.4 million building was constructed as part of TPS’s Building for Success program, which aims to rebuild or renovate more than 50 area schools during a 12-year period. It opened in January.

The building was designed by The Collaborative, a consortium of local architectural and engineering firms formed to work together on the Building for Success program.

The 60,000 square foot building now houses almost 500 students, teachers and staff. Oriented to optimize the penetration of natural lighting into the building, the building also features a host of other measures that enhance its sustainability, including the integration of local materials into the building’s construction; high-efficiency windows; the recycling of 75 percent of the project’s waste during construction; an onsite helix turbine that helps light the lobby and corridors when light levels are low; a white reflective roof that reduces the building’s heat island effect; and an ice storage unit that allows the school to utilize ice as part of its cooling system.

Outside, a rain garden and bioswale filters storm water runoff, while inside the school utilizes low-flow water fixtures and waterless urinals. Together, these two water conservation measures allow Hawkins to save 40 percent of the water than a similar conventionally built facility would.

School officials hope that the building’s green features, as well as its location adjacent to the Toledo Botanical Garden, will help it act as a laboratory, educating students about environmental science and energy efficiency.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

A $20 million mental health care facility at the high-security Salinas Valley State Prison in California recently received a Silver certification under the auspices of LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC), according to a recent article.

The 36,000 square foot facility is the first new building in the state prison system to receive a LEED certification. The facility was recognized for both its green a cost-efficient features. For example, the facility is projected to reduce its water consumption by 56 percent compared to a similar conventionally built facility, while simultaneously reducing energy use by 37 percent and lower sewage conveyance by 70 percent through a state-of-the-art vacuum plumbing system.

The facility, which provides housing and inpatient mental health care for 74 residents, opened in April, 2009. The facility earned a score of 33 points from the LEED rating system, out of a possible 69 total points.

The facility’s LEED certification is part of a larger statewide initiative, spearheaded by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, to certify all new state-owned facilities. In addition, though the construction of the facility predates the adoption of CALGREEN in January of this year, the building integrates measures that are compliant with both LEED and CALGREEN. Specifically, energy performance measures, construction waste management plans, and the reduction of water and material resource use, and building commissioning satisfy both certification systems, according to a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) press release.

“CDCR has shown leadership in conserving energy on a grand scale, through reducing electricity usage to saving water,” said CDCR Secretary Matthew Cate, in the press release. The Salinas Valley State Prison staff and contractors worked hard to make sure this new facility was LEED certified, our first prison to achieve such a designation in California. Our goal is to make all future prisons LEED certified, a standard.”

The facility was designed by Nacht & Lewis Architects of Sacramento.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

Offering further proof that "sustainable" need not mean "spartan," a recently constructed luxury single-family home in the Southern California city of Costa Mesa has become the first custom residence in Orange County to receive LEED Platinum certification, according to a recent Jetson Green article.

Despite its generous size (5,000 square feet), the home exceeds the California Energy code by 40 percent and is not expected to generate an electricity bill outside of standard add-on fees, the article notes.

The 7 bedroom, 7 bathroom Costa Mesa Green Home, as the residence is known, was designed by architect David Gangloff, and is the brainchild of developers Steven and Karen Blanchard. Green aspects of the home’s design include durable, sustainable, and non-toxic materials; ventilation design that optimizes indoor air quality; use of high-efficiency HVAC equipment and Energy Star-rated lighting; construction with highly insulated walls and windows; a no-water, native landscaping scheme; and reuse of shower gray water for toilet and irrigation purposes. On the roof, solar photovoltaic panels power the home’s entire electrical load.

A showcase worthy of even the most discriminating buyer, the home is currently available for purchase.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com