The latest example of a LEED Gold environmental standards can be found in a 25,000-ft2 operations, administrative and crew berthing building just completed for the Coast Guard base in Cleveland, Ohio. The building will house the marine safety unit, smallboat station and electronics support detachment.
A vegetative roof on the facility reduces the need for air conditioning, extends the life of the roof, reduces erosive rainwater runoff, and provides some green relief from the concrete and asphalt patchwork of the Lake Erie waterfront. The rest of the roof is painted white to reflect more sunlight, which lowers cooling costs in the summer.
The Coast Guard says this building is designed to save even more energy than set forth in the LEED Guiding Principles for Sustainable New Construction and Major Revisions. The design cuts energy consumption and expenditure up to 30% below the baseline standards set by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers.....even with the lights on at night to spruce up the waterfront.
The new building also maximizes use of locally produced furniture and finishes made from recycled, recyclable, and reusable materials while minimizing use of polyvinyl chloride, a widely used plastic that takes a long time to biodegrade. In addition, all wood products included in permanently installed architectural or interior materials come from sources certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Toilets and urinals also are either waterless or low flow. And natural landscaping is designed to thrive without irrigation from the city’s water supply. A state-of-the-art a gray water recycling system catches the drains of sinks and showers throughout the building and repurposes it to flush toilets and water plants.
Finally, lights are linked to motion sensors and the entire electrical system is linked to an external database. This remote metering lets engineers identify anomalies in building energy use and coordinate best practices to minimize energy waste.
Ninth Coast Guard District: http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/1579795/
