LEED Gold Achievement for Cuyahoga County’s New Administrative Headquarters
Oct 06, 2015
The new Cuyahoga County Administrative Headquarters (CCHQ) has earned LEED Gold Cetification.
CCHQ is part of a redevelopment and revitalization in the center of Downtown Cleveland. The building consolidates the County’s services into a central location for residents. It features offices, council chambers, conference rooms, and a television studio.
At the County press conference announcing the award, County Director of Sustainability Mike Foley commented that the building is one of the most pleasant places he’s worked in.
Because this high-profile public project was on a strict and aggressive construction schedule, the pursuit of LEED certification could not adversely affect the design and construction schedule. Yet the project team surpassed its LEED certification goals: Originally targeting LEED Silver, CCHQ was awarded LEED Gold.
CCHQ was designed and built by Geis Companies and is leased back to the County. The design team included GLSD Architects, URS, Vocon, Erbach Architects, Karpinski Engineering, HLMS, Barber & Hoffman, and Weber Engineering. Cleveland Port Authority is the lender.
KE services: MEPT Engineering; Security, Fire Protection, and Lighting Design; Commissioning
LEED version: LEED BD+C: New Construction v3 - LEED 2009
Building Size: 232,000 SF
Energy use savings: Projected 23%
Energy cost savings: Projected 23%
Water savings: Projected 42% reduction
Why it works: Many aspects of the building’s design, construction, and operation contribute to a more sustainable project. CCHQ features LED lighting in the majority of spaces, along with efficient heating and cooling systems, which contributes to energy savings. Using high efficiency plumbing fixtures, such as sinks and toilets, reduces water consumption. Based on the ENERGY STAR Target Energy Performance Results Calculator CCHQ has a projected 62% reduction of CO2-eq emissions. See more highlights of CCHQ’s LEED Gold achievement.
About LEED
LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a program of the U.S. Green Building Council that promotes sustainable building design. Through the LEED program, buildings are evaluated on measures such as energy-efficient building systems, water efficiency, sustainable site strategies, and sustainable building materials. A building can be awarded one of four certification levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum (the highest).
Karpinski Engineering’s contributions to a building’s LEED certification typically impact its energy and water use – through efficient electrical, lighting, HVAC, and plumbing design.