A leader in sustainability since 1982
NREL RSF designed for Net-Zero Energy achieves LEED Platinum
DENVER, CO (June 29, 2011) — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Research Support Facility (RSF) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado has been certified LEED® Platinum for New Construction (NC) by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable building design and construction.
“The team is thrilled to receive this news,” said RNL President and Research Support Facility project Principal Richard L. von Luhrte, FAIA, LEED AP. “With the goal of influencing others to pursue low energy and net-zero energy performance, this third-party certification further validates this project’s status as a game changer for the building industry.”
The Research Support Facility is one of 35,000 projects in all 50 states and 91 countries participating in the LEED system, comprising more than 4.5 billion square feet of construction space. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the preeminent program for rating the design, construction and operation of green buildings.
The RSF project achieved all 59 targeted LEED points, including those for site selection, energy, materials and resources, and innovation. This is the highest score of the 10 U.S. federal facilities that have earned the LEED Platinum rating for new construction. The RSF also had a perfect score in the energy category, achieving all 17 points.
At 222,000 square-feet, the Research Support Facility is a model of sustainability, integrating high performance design features and practices, demonstrating green construction techniques, and working to capture the public’s imagination while putting energy efficient technologies and renewable energy to work in a large-scale commercial building.
The project’s design is skillfully tuned to maximize passive architectural strategies, take advantage of the regional climate, and drive energy use reduction. The architecture dramatically reduces the energy use first; then the building’s passive energy and energy efficient features optimize the Research Support Facility’s performance.
The Research Support Facility was delivered by the design-build team of RNL and Haselden Construction. Architectural Energy Corporation served as the project’s LEED® consultant.
RNL is a global, full-service design firm specializing in sustainable, integrated design. Founded in 1956, RNL offers a continuum of design services, including architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, urban design and planning. RNL has offices in Phoenix, Denver, Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In May of 2011, RNL was ranked #20 on Architect magazine’s The Architect 50, an annual ranking of American architecture firms. For more information, please visit www.rnldesign.com.
Architectural Energy Corporation (AEC) is a leading sustainability and energy engineering consulting firm. Founded in 1982, AEC has provided LEED® certification consulting on more than 100 LEED certified projects worldwide and provides sustainable design consulting, energy and daylighting modeling and analysis, commissioning, measurement and verification, energy audits, and retro-commissioning for new and existing buildings. For more information, visit www.archenergy.com.
Haselden Construction was founded in Colorado in 1973 and delivers sustainable projects throughout the intermountain West. The company builds a diverse range of project types including office, education, healthcare, mountain resort, gaming, and municipal facilities. Haselden Construction is ranked in the Top 40 regionally and Top 400 nationally by McGraw Hill Construction. For more information, visit www.haselden.com.
The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501 c3 non-profit organization committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through costefficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 79 local affiliates, more than 16,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 160,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
A copy of the press release can be found here.
Photo courtesy of DOE/NREL
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