Vancouver, WA Celebrates First LEED™-Certified Public Building in the Pacific Northwest

January 30, 2004
(Portland, OR)

The Clark County Public Services Building in Vancouver, Washington, was awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) certification on January 6th by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) for incorporating energy efficiency and environmental sensitivity in its design and construction. Alan Scott, Senior Architectural Design Consultant with Green Building Services of PGE's Earth Advantage program presented the Board of Clark County Commissioners with the plaque acknowledging the certification.

"We continue to strive to be environmental leaders in the county while maintaining cost-effective practices," said Pete Capell, Public Works Director. "This LEED™ certification is the result of the innovative, hard work of staff, our architect, and our builders."

Designed by ARCHITECTS Barrentine. Bates. Lee A.I.A., the 163,000-square-foot structure showcases building practices that protect the quality of air, water and other natural resources. The following are just some of the building's many green features.

· Energy use reduction - 22% savings over average use of gas and electricity
· Water use reduction - 20% savings over average water use
· Recycled construction waste - more than 90% of construction waste recycled and kept out of landfills
· Materials low in toxic fumes - carpet, paints, sealers and adhesives
· Natural lighting - many windows allow daylight to reduce the need for electric lights

Alan Scott, working in conjunction with the USGBC, spearheaded the LEED™ certification program for the Clark County building and then Swinerton Builders Project Engineer Scott Davies, a LEED™ Accredited Professional, monitored all of the work for optimal points, working in partnership with Peter Dubois, Clark County's Waste Reduction Specialist.

"We worked with our subcontractors to recycle 90% of all construction debris," stated Scott Davies of Swinerton, "exceeding the minimum LEED™ requirement by 40%. We were able to reclaim a huge amount of concrete and asphalt by diverting the waste to a nearby facility that crushes the material for reuse as road base. This approach resulted in huge cost savings since no dumping fees were being assessed and the reclaimed material could be resold; it was a true project Green savings."

CONTACT:
Anne Scott
Marketing Manager
503.478.2575
ascott@swinerton.com