Neyer Properties, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its first building at the Keystone Parke office campus . LEED is the USGBC’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, high performing buildings.
“Green building is the right thing to do, and all future Neyer Properties office projects will be built to LEED Standards,” said Dan Neyer, president of Neyer Properties. “Studies show that employees are healthier, happier and more productive in green workplaces.”
Keystone Parke was designed by Neyer Properties and PDT Design to achieve LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as a variety of other sustainable strategies.
LEED verifies environmental performance, occupant health and financial return. LEED was established for market leaders to design & construct buildings that protect and save precious resources while also making good economic sense.
“Keystone Parke’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President , CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Keystone Parke serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish.”
LEED certification of Keystone Parke was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community.
Green features of the $100 million Keystone Parke include underground parking, pedestrian access to an adjacent park; high-efficiency windows providing a connection between indoor and outdoor spaces; a drip irrigation system and low-flow fixtures that reduce water consumption by 50 percent; and motion-detector lighting and daylight harvesting sensors that adjusts light based on natural light penetration and movement in an office.
More than 50 percent of building materials were manufactured in this region, reducing transportation environmental impact.
Thirty percent of the building is made from recycled materials, and paints, sealants and carpeting do not have volatile organic compounds (VOCs), toxins that are released into the air over time and can adversely affect worker health.
Estimated energy use at Keystone Parke will be 30 percent less than offices built by standard building practices. These savings will be passed on to tenants.
Neyer Properties also purchased and then donated a piece of property that provided the adjacent park with additional land needed for baseball and football fields. The new park plan proposes a new basketball court, walking trails and play equipment.
Neyer Properties also expects to obtain LEED Gold for commercial interiors for their corporate office space at Keystone Parke.
About the U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a
sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. Since UGSBC’s founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 17,000 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED® green building rating systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry’s popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 78 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.
About LEED®
The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category. LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments, schools and retail facilities. LEED for Healthcare is currently under development and is expected to be released in early 2008. Incentives for LEED are available at the state and local level and LEED has also been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies.
For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED.