Conference Center Certified 'Green'

officials announced today the building has achieved LEED Gold certification, as established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute.

LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Representatives from Hogan Construction; architech firm Lyman, Davidson, Dooley; and Bartow County Commissioner Clarence Brown discussed the scope of the project and accepted the honor at a cermony this morning.

The building achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. By using less energy and water, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.

“Buildings are a prime example of how human systems integrate with natural systems,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council, in a press release. “The Clarence Brown Conference Center project efficiently uses our natural resources and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which will tremendously benefit future generations to come.”

Bartow County Commissioner Clarence Brown echoed Fedrizzi’s statement. “Our goals from the beginning of this project were to make the most-efficient use of SPLOST funding and to have a great impact on community economic development. By making this facility both highly functional and efficient, the building and design team has created an attractive place to come together with a sustainable positive legacy for our grandchildren,” he said in the release.

Ellen Archer, executive director of the Cartersville-Bartow County Convention & Visitors Bureau which oversees the conference center operations, added, “It is a great honor to receive the LEED Gold certification so close to the one-year anniversary of the center’s opening. It’s a goal exceeded for the residents and business leaders of Bartow County—one that our community can enjoy for years to come.”

LEED certification of the center was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. They include:

• Reserved parking for electric, hybrid or car pool vehicles;
• Irrigation systems fueled by non-potable water from onsite landscape features;
• Drought-tolerant indigenous landscaping requiring little maintenance;
• Twenty-percent of the materials used in this project were extracted, harvested and/or manufactured locally, thereby reducing transportation costs and carbon emissions;
• Energy efficient windows and highly-reflective roofing;
• Lithocrete flooring made of 75 percent recycled glass requiring no sealants or waxing, which saves water, electricity and people power;
• “Cradle-to-cradle” carpet squares made from recycled materials that may be recycled again at the point of replacement;
• Furnishings that emit low levels of volatile organic compounds;
• Design features that utilize more natural light;
• Motion-sensor lighting that maximizes energy savings;
• Water-efficient plumbing; motion-sensor soap dispensers and hand dryers; and
• Informative signs throughout introducing these green products and practices to clients and visitors.