We’re Officially, Certifiably “Green”
The organization that certifies green buildings, the U.S. Green Building Council USGBC, has officially granted CNT “Platinum” certification. Platinum is the highest certification USGBC grants under its LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system. CNT’s building is only the thirteenth in the country to have received it.
Improving the efficiencies of buildings, especially those that are already built, is one important strategy for improving the sustainability of our cities. Presently, the building sector is a massive end-user of energy and raw materials. Through this retrofit, we wanted to show that creating a high performance green building does not require bottomless pockets and it does not require a new building. Old buildings like ours, on small sites in dense urban neighborhoods, offer great potential.
Thus far we are happy with our results. We achieved our renovation at a cost on par with a conventional renovation, about $82 per square foot. On top of that, the building is about 52 percent more energy-efficient than a typical building designed to Chicago energy code ASHRAE standards, which should yield CNT some economic benefits, especially if energy prices continue to rise. Green is not just good for the environment. It also pays.
Read the story of the building and the press release. View our LEED scorecard.
