Carousel Centre expansion secures LEED Gold
The expanded Carousel Centre shopping mall in Syracuse, New York, US has received LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council.
The expansion, covering 1.3 million square feet, imbibes various green elements. It has been fitted with a solar reflective cool roof sporting refracting technology. The roof helps in earning energy costs cuts by cooling the surrounding air. The facility also incorporates a rainwater harvesting system which saves four million gallons of water per year, thereby slashing its baseline water consumption by 78%.
The building has made extensive use of low or zero VOC products to upgrade indoor air quality. It has also employed measures to protect its air handling systems and material from being contaminated during the construction process.
The expansion adds to the sustainability with its fast renewable flooring formed of crushed walnut shells and cork, as well as use of FSC-certified wood in over 50% of permanent wood structures. More than 90% of all building materials have been diverted from reaching landfills via a Construction Resource Management programme. In addition, the facility mixed 7000 tonnes of fly ash into its concrete floor, and used 23,000 tonnes of 95% reclaimed steel and 276,000 gallons of bio-diesel fuel. The soy based bio-diesel fuel has helped cut down greenhouse gas emission by 67%.
