Weekly LEED roundup – 10/30/2009

Projects in Kentucky, Oregon, North Carolina, and the first ever LEED Certified project in Romania are featured in this week's LEED roundup.

Fri, Oct 30 2009 at 9:00 AM EST

Photo courtesy of Bernheim Arboretum

Bernheim Arboretum Visitor Center – Clermont, KY

Although the Bernheim Arboretum Visitor Center in Clermont, KY first received LEED Platinum certification in December 2007, I’ve chosen to include it in this week’s LEED roundup because it recently received the Lifecycle Building Challenge Award from the EPA.

“This award recognizes innovative green concepts designed to create positive environmental and energy impacts of buildings. “Designing buildings and building products with front-end lifecycle thinking is the key to real green building,” stated Lisa Heinzerling, EPA Associate Administrator for Policy, Economics, and Innovation.” Source: William McDonough + Partners (PDF)

The facility was built to LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) version 2.0/2.1 standards. It ultimately earned 54 out of a possible 69 points on the LEED-NC checklist, qualifying the building for LEED Platinum certification.

Owens Corning – Gresham, OR

The United States now has its first LEED Gold certified insulation facility. The Owens Corning plant in Gresham, Oregon recently received LEED for New Construction Gold certification, making it the first insulation facility in the nation to receive this level.

Although there may not be a plethora of insulation facilities seeking LEED certification, there are certainly quite a few industrial facilities being built to LEED standards. With the Gold certification of the Owens Corning plant, there are now just over 200 LEED certified industrial plants in the nation.

Saddle Creek Corporation – Harrisburg, NC

The Saddle Creek Corporation distribution center in Harrisburg, North Carolina has been awarded LEED Silver certification and the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) has verified the property.

The 304,000 square-foot facility features several eco-friendly upgrades including the use of low VOC products, sustainable landscaping, low-flow plumbing fixtures, premium parking for hybrid car owners, and declaring the facility as a non-idling zone.

Saddle Creek provides a variety of services to customers including dedicated warehousing, distribution services, contract packaging, warehouse and freight management, industrial engineering, and much more.

Nokia - Romania

The list of countries with LEED certified buildings has just grown by one; Romania is now home to a LEED Gold certified property. The Nokia Jucu Factory received LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) Gold certification.

This is Nokia’s second international LEED Gold certification. The Nokia BDA Campus in Beijing, China is also a LEED Gold certified building.

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