Looking for LEED in All the Right Places!Looking for LEED in All the Right Places!
Why LEED?
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building framework put together by the US Green Building Council. LEED is the primary global standard for the environmentally responsible design and construction. We pursued LEED certification to save resources, lower operating costs and be a good community partner.
Have a look at the things we did to be a better neighbor and help the environment!
Our location close to “The T,” bike racks at all entrances, and parking spaces for electric cars are all ways that help reduce the need to burn gasoline to get here!
Our low-flow plumbing fixtures can reduce water consumption by more than 30% compared to conventional plumbing. This conservation will reduce demand on the municipal water supply and treatment facilities.
Recycling bins are stationed around the facility for cans, bottles, and paper products. These waste management practices reduce the amount of waste disposed of in the landfill each year.
Our rain gardens (all native plantings that don’t require hose-watering) filter 100% of the storm water from the PPG Science Pavilion roof. This reduces the burden on the sewer infrastructure and decreases risk of overflow into the rivers during heavy rains.
The PPG Science Pavilion has a solar array on the roof, generating nearly 5% of the required energy on-site. This reduces our demand for fossil fuels and the local power grid.
We’ve used high efficiency building systems, state-of-the-art building controls, and an energy-efficient building envelope for the PPG Science Pavilion, resulting in a space that will consume more than 20% less energy than a comparable facility.
As we built the new wing, we made sure to use low- or no-emitting paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, carpet, and composite wood, instead of building materials that can give off toxins.
Even our custodians are going green! We use environmentally-sensitive cleaning products for a better level of indoor air quality – and reduce the amount of toxic and non-biodegradable chemicals being released.
Waste materials from the renovation and expansion were sorted and recycled whenever possible. This effort diverted more than 95% (calculated by weight) of waste from landfills!
More than 20% of the PPG Science Pavilion building products and materials are composed of recycled content. Some examples include the steel and concrete used in construction of the building structure and foundations.
Transporting materials and products long distances causes road congestion, consumes fuel, and creates greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce this, more than 40% of the materials we used were extracted, recycled, processed, or made within 500 miles of the Science Center!
All lighting in the PPG Science Pavilion is LED lighting. Unlike fluorescent lighting, LED lighting contains no mercury and is far more efficient.
