Perkins+Will's Atlanta office bags LEED Platinum
Perkins+Will's office at 1315 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia, US has received LEED Platinum from the US Green Building Council.
The 1985-built facility has undergone an overhaul to incorporate the green features. It is housed in the top four stories of a multi-use structure. The building exterior has been revamped with more energy-saving glazing. The front facade of the building too, has undergone a facelift. The fifth level of the facility now features an exterior terrace which acts as a lunch, meeting and office social area. The office also comprises a garden for its staff.
The interior of the remodelled office features collaborative benching-style workstations, as well as mixed-use team rooms comprising transparent walls which allow easy configuration.
Installation of elevated flooring and a radiant heating and cooling system add to the building's sustainability. It uses passive sun shading on lower floors of the building and an exterior sunshade on its terrace level to control afternoon sunlight and solar gain. The design of the building offers maximum natural light penetration throughout all occupied areas and provides outside views. This leads to a reduction in energy consumption. Incorporation of daylight harvesting, reduced ambient lighting, and LED lamps further reap energy cost cuts.
The roof of the renovated facility has been fitted with microturbines and an adsorption chiller which form part of a trigeneration system. Natural gas is utilised to generate electricity in the building which cuts down its rate of carbon emissions by 68%. The facility further dons a cistern for storing rainwater which has a capacity to hold 10,000 gallons. The collected water is filtered, treated and reclaimed for use in the building's toilets and to meet its irrigation needs.
The different eco-friendly measures employed by the facility have decreased energy usage by 58% and municipally supplied potable water consumption by 78%.
