While NSLS-II may look metallic silver, it’s really green – LEED green.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is an internationally recognized green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). A green building is designed to use natural resources efficiently; protect occupant health and improve employee productivity; and reduce waste, pollution and environmental degradation.

Under the direction of Marty Fallier, the Facilities Division within Photon Sciences has worked with HDR, Inc., to pursue LEED certification for three separate NSLS-II construction projects: 1) the ring building; 2) lab-office buildings 1 and 3 and the building housing the HXN beamline; and 3) shells for lab-office buildings 2, 4 and 5.

“Applying sustainable design principles to a facility like NSLS-II is not only the right thing to do, it is also a requirement,” said Fallier. “By using the LEED standard for certification, we can measurably demonstrate the extent of sustainable features incorporated in the facility.”

Last month, Fallier and his staff had the opportunity to showcase LEED elements in NSLS-II for a very interested audience: local chapters of the U.S. Green Building Council and the International Facility Management Association. About 100 members of IFMA Long Island and USGBC-LI held a joint October meeting at Brookhaven Lab, hosted by Integrated Facility Management. As part of the meeting, the Community Relations Office arranged a tour of NSLS-II and the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, a LEED-certified building. Feedback on the tour was extremely positive, with comments about “passion and commitment to your work” and sense of “shared sustainability mission.”

Here is a breakdown of LEED goals for NSLS-II in six categories:

Sustainable Sites

Transportation

• Parking for 45 bicycles
• Shower and changing facilities located in each lab-office building (LOB)
• 43 parking spaces for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles
• 43 parking spaces for carpools

Landscape choices

• Over 30 acres of dedicated open space
• Native or adaptive plants chosen for over 50 percent of the site
• No site irrigation

Water Efficiency

Low-flow fixtures

• Ring building: 37 percent water savings
• LOBs: 40 percent water savings
• NSLS-II: No potable water used for irrigation

Energy & Atmosphere

LEED energy performance

• LOBs: 33.9 percent energy savings per LEED
• Ring building: 16.5 percent energy savings per LEED

EPACT 2005 energy performance:

• LOBs: 47.8 percent energy savings per the federal Energy Policy Act (EPAct) 2005
• Ring building: 24.2 percent energy savings per EPAct 2005
• Combined NSLS-II: 30 percent energy savings as mandated by EPAct 2005

Energy performance features:

• Cooling tower for reduced cooling energy
• Photo cells, occupancy sensors and timers for reduced lighting energy
• Variable Frequency Drives for reduced electrical energy

Measuring and commissioning systems:

• Enhanced system performance measurement & commissioning

Indoor Environmental Quality

Construction IAQ management

• All three LEED projects protect indoor air quality (IAQ)

Use of low-emitting materials

• Adhesives
• Sealants
• Paints
• Coatings
• Carpet systems
• Composite wood
• Agrifiber (agricultural/bio-based) products

Innovation in Design

Exemplary performance

• Open space
• Certified wood
• Water efficiency

LEED accredited professional

• Multiple LEED accredited professionals working on NSLS-II project

Materials & Resources

Construction waste management

• Over 75 percent construction wasted diverted from local landfills
  • metals
  • wood
  • cardboard
  • concrete/dirt
  • plastics

Optimal material selection

• Minimum requirements for all three LEED projects for materials:
  • 20 percent recycled content
  • 20 percent regional materials
  • 50 percent wood from a sustainable source
  • preference for rapidly renewable materials

— Mona S. Rowe