A second manufacturing and office building designed by Maclay Architects for Vermont wind measurement manufacturer NRG Systems has earned LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

A second manufacturing and office building designed by Maclay Architects for Vermont wind measurement manufacturer NRG Systems has earned LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.  The 31,000 square foot facility, like the company’s 46,000 square foot building it connects to, combines manufacturing and office space, and uses state-of-the-art technology including an on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) system to reduce energy use and minimize environmental impacts. With the recent addition of a 140-kw solar tracker farm adjacent to its property, NRG Systems expects to produce all of the electricity for its two buildings with onsite renewables in 2010—which would make the campus the first net-zero manufacturing site (for electricity) in the nation. The building has reached nearly 90% of its total energy production from renewables.

“The NRG Systems building serves as a model for what can be done with building technology, architectural design, and renewable energy systems today,” said Architect and Designer Bill Maclay. “It demonstrates that renewably powered buildings are not only possible, they can be quite practical from both the economic and environmental perspectives.”

The facility features a super-insulated building envelope, solar photovoltaics, two wood-pellet boilers, solar hot water and a radiant heating and cooling system. According to Maclay, several innovative design features make the second building more energy-efficient than the first one completed for NRG Systems in 2004. This includes an open-loop, ground-source cooling system that draws water from two 500-feet deep wells and feeds it through radiant tubing, providing a significant energy savings. It also features thicker walls and cellulose insulation, making the building better insulated and 50% tighter than the first.

In addition to technological improvements, the building incorporates aesthetic details that make it a welcoming, beautiful, and productive place to work. It features unique floor murals and three-dimensional, mixed media floor tiles, created by Sarah Lee-Terrat and Carolyn Shapiro. Some represent the mission of the company, while others provide whimsical environmental and social commentary on the times.

The building features dozens of skylights and operable windows designed to take advantage of natural light, allow for natural ventilation and provide employees with views of the outdoors. Laptop computers and Energy Star-rated office equipment were selected to reduce electricity usage and heat gain. Earth- and human-friendly materials were used throughout the building, including low- or no-VOC stains, paints and adhesives, polished concrete floors, certified wood, and recycled bathroom tiles. The building features a first floor café, a second floor library, informal meeting and gathering spaces, and a 40-person training room.

The design team included Maclay Architects, HP Cummings Construction Company, Energy Balance, Engineering Ventures, LN Consulting, Erickson Consulting, Naomi Miller Lighting Design, and TJ Boyle and Associates.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the nationally accepted standard and rating system for high performance, sustainable buildings developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

# # #