 One of the benefits to building green, which EnviroCitizen.org has found many people overlook, is the fact that this building method improves the indoor environment for the people who live or work there. In most cases, environmental problems pose risks to people as well as the environment. The developers of the Signature Center in Golden, Colorado, definitely understand this link between environmental health and personal health. The developer, Aardex Corporation, designed the Signature Center with both environmental and personal health in mind. The other interesting thing that Aardex Corporation recognizes is that green features like natural light, scenic views and clean air actually increase productivity and reduce absenteeism. The folks at Aardex Corporation wanted to design the Signature Center to make the occupants' experience in the building better overall.
The Signature Center offers natural daylight and lovely views to the vast majority, about 90%, of the occupants. The floor plan is open and flexible, which increases energy-efficiency and streamlines the transition between tenants. There are many green features in the Signature Center, like the raised flooring, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the power lines and the phone systems. The building is very energy-efficient, conserving a substantial amount of water and having solar shades on the exterior walls. The building further enhances personal health by offering a fitness center and a café that serves healthy food. All of these features contribute to the Signature Center being Platinum Certified by the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. It is 1 of only 3 buildings in Colorado to receive Platinum certification. There are only 41 LEED-Platinum Certified buildings in the world, including the 36 buildings in the United States.
The Signature Center wasn't built with all of these green features just to hang a plaque on their wall. The Signature Center actually cost less to build than a conventional building, thanks to the value-engineering expertise of the designers. The green features also enhance the working environment for the tenants in the Signature Center, which drastically increases productivity.
The Signature Center is one of EnviroCitizen.org's favorite examples of how building green yields a win-win situation. The environmental impact and carbon footprint of the building and its occupants is drastically reduced in comparison to conventional buildings of the same size. Clearly, building green is nothing but beneficial in every possible way.
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