Encore Wire, a manufacturer of copper electrical wires utilized for interior wiring at industrial buildings, production houses, apartments and homes, declared that its Research and Development Center measuring 13,000 sq.ft has been granted LEED Platinum Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, which is verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBSI).
Encore Wire Research and Development facility. Credit: Encor Wire
The facility spent considerable amount of time and broad planning to achieve the certification thus becoming the one only LEED Platinum certified R&D facility of its type in North Texas.
Dallas-based architectural company, Page Southerland Page has designed the project under the guidance of Michael McCoy, its Vice President. The construction services were provided by MYCON General Contractors of McKinney and Damon Norman and its project manager has documented and managed the LEED guidelines in the construction.
The company achieved LEED Platinum Certification on the basis of a range of green design features included in the construction to bring positive impact to the building as well as to the society. The construction utilized efficient and low energy, consuming external lighting to bring down the light pollution in the neighborhood and utilized photocell controlled interior lighting to react and respond to the amount of sun light received inside through the windows.
The construction covered over 95% of its envelope using glass to improve the availability of daylight inside the building. For accent paneling, laboratory casework and office furniture, the building uses renewable bamboo or other cast-off materials. The air supply within the building is managed using indoor air quality program. The solar panels mounted over the roof of the construction reduce its reliance on grid power. During the construction process, it took pains to repair and protect the native habitat and bought all the construction requirements within 500 km radius of the construction. The Parking lot is modified to achieve maximum space with favored parking for fuel-efficient vehicles and carpools utilizing high albedo concrete to reduce the “heat island effect”.