Two Trails Inc. Completes Two More LEED Certifications Including the FIRST Municipal LEED Platinum Building in Florida

The City of Seminole, FL Public Works & Operations building is the first municipal building in Florida to be awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED platinum certification, the highest sustainability rating possible. The City of Seminole also built the Public Works Administration & EOC building and was awarded the U.S Green Building Council’s LEED Gold certification.  On April 12, 2011 the city was presented the USGBC LEED plaques and certificates by Drew Smith-President of Two Trails Inc. Both projects tasked Two Trails Inc. Green Building Consultants to assist them in achieving each respected LEED certification.  

Currently The LEED Platinum Public Works and Operations building & The LEED Gold Public Works Administration EOC building are so efficient that they receive credits from the electric company.  This power efficiency helps them be financially responsible for current and future facility costs.  “Aside from the LEED certification from the US Green Building Council, our focus on sustainability is good for local government saving resources and funds that may be needed for other municipal purposes. Local governments have an opportunity to demonstrate behaviors that will conserve valuable resources and at the same time provide the services expected by our citizens.” Frank Edmunds- Seminole City Manager

"I am very proud of the project team for achieving LEED Platinum for the City of Seminole Public Works building.  This is a great achievement!  It is not only the first platinum certified building in all of Pinellas County, but it is the first platinum municipal project in the state of Florida.  The City of Seminole was committed to having an efficient building.  Without their dedication, this project would not have achieved platinum and have this exceptional sustainable design."  Mike Mason-President of Mason Blau and Associates, Inc.

LEED was established to promote sustainable building design and construction that protect and preserve resources while also making good economic sense.  The green building process offers an opportunity to respond to the most-important challenges of our time, including global climate change, dependence on non-sustainable and expensive sources of energy, and threats to human health.  “It is exciting to see the first of many municipal buildings to embrace the green building practice.  They are leading the way for reduced long-term maintenance and lowering utility costs on these buildings.  In a time of gas price increases, it is important to that building saves more money than it cost to build. Their commitment to achieving a green certification is commendable, as the project progressed I knew Platinum and Gold were in our reach, I am so happy to see them meet their goal and the excel beyond. It really was just looking at the building in the correct manner that helped ensure the elevated certifications.” Drew Smith-President of Two Trails Inc.

LEED certifications of the buildings were based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. The 17,299-square-foot Seminole Public Works & Operations government building and the 6,222-square-foot Seminole Public Works Administration & EOC government building feature the latest in green building science.  A few of the feature’s included:

• Reduced grid supplied electricity:
  • High efficiency air conditioning systems
  • Utilization of primarily fluorescent and LED lighting controlled with occupancy sensors
  • Highly reflective roof coating to minimize solar heat gain
  • LED Solar Powered parking lot lighting
  • A total of 42.39Kw of Photovoltaic (Solar) power generating panels were installed on the buildings that will annually produce 86,732Kw of free electricity
  • Reduced water consumption by over 50% with the installation:
    • Motion activated low flow faucets
    • Ultra Low Flow toilets and urinals
    • Utilized Florida Friendly Landscaping to minimize water requirements
    • Irrigation of landscaping was limited to no permanent irrigation on one building and irrigation well on the second building

• Diverting over 75% of the construction waste from landfill to recycling including the recycling of both of the existing buildings on the sites that were demolished
• Buildings utilized at least 10% recycled content materials in their construction
• Buildings utilized at least 10% materials mined, milled and manufactured within 500 miles of the jobsite
• Indoor Environmental Quality is also an area that was very important to the projects. The following areas were addressed throughout both buildings:
  • All interior finishes will utilize Low VOC materials (Volatile Organic Compounds or off-gassing) including paints, furnishings, floor coverings
  • High efficiency HVAC air filtration systems with HEPA filtration quality
  • Lighting control systems were installed to automatically turn off lights in a room that is unoccupied
  • Temperature controls to allow for maximum efficiency of the HVAC systems

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the council’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient and high-performing buildings.

The two buildings for the City of Seminole project team consisted of. Two Trails, Inc (CGP).; Mason Blau & Associates, Inc. (Arch.); TBE Group (Civil Eng. & Landscape Arch.); M.P. Spychala & Assoc., Inc. (Elect. Eng.); Griner Engineering (Plumb. & HVAC Eng.); and Biltmore Construction (G.C.)

About Two Trails, Inc. Two Trails, Inc. is a Green Building Consulting firm established in 2001. We provide green consulting services nationwide for commercial, residential, remodeling, and developments looking to obtain LEED (US Green Building Council) NAHB Green Home Standard, Energy Star, FGBC (Florida Green Building Coalition) certifications.

Our President, Drew M. Smith, LEED AP, was the founding President of the Florida Green Building Coalition and is the first Governor appointed Green Building Commissioner for the State of Florida. Two Trails, Inc. provides hands-on consulting making it easy to achieve certification.

About Mason Blau & Associates, Inc (MBA is a full-service architectural firm.  Established in 1994, MBA was founded by seasoned architects Michael R. Mason, AIA and Robert H. Blau, AIA.  MBA specializes in the planning and design of education, government, healthcare and commercial projects.

Source | PRWEB