LEED Gold Certified!

The AECI project was able to achieve LEED Gold. This is one the first office buildings of this scale to achieve LEED gold in this area. The following are the sustainable items that were part of the building’s design.

One of the most significant decisions made during the design of the new AECI building was the decision to design an HVAC system that utilizes geothermal energy from the ground. For this project, it is projected that operations of the building could achieve as much as 42% cost savings over a typical non geo-thermal forced air system.

• Since a considerable amount of the energy consumed within a building is contributed to the lighting of the building, high efficient light fixtures were specified. Lighting controls and occupancy sensors will turn lights on and off as needed. Appliances were also specified with the ENERGY STAR label.

• Cool roofing material was also specified to avoid the “heat up” of the building and eliminate the need to upsize and run the cooling equipment longer.

• The building envelope was designed for a R-37 for the walls and a R-26 for the roof.

• 95% of trash that was generated during construction away from the local landfills to alternative locations where segregated materials such as cardboard, wood, plastic, and glass could be recycled into other useful products for consumers

• 20% of all materials was procured regionally or within 500 miles.

• Special care was taken to ensure that the Indoor Air Quality was maintained during construction, this was done by ensuring that the ductwork was not contaminated during construction and that all materials had Low VOC’s.

• The project achieved a 26% in water use reduction through the use of low flow toilets, low flow shower heads and infrared sensors on the faucets.

• Site water usage was kept at a minimum by using native plants that do not require a large amount of water.

Sapp Design Associates Architects, 3750 S. Fremont, Springfield Missouri 

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