Retrofitting and remodeling earns Philadelphia center status as a green building space
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 14, 2009 -- SCA’s newly opened and renovated Dispenser Innovation Center has achieved certification status of the U.S. Green Building Council as meeting the criteria of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - Commercial Interior (LEED®-CI) space.
The center occupies the first floor of the Science Center Building, 3615 Market St., Philadelphia, and is located just seven blocks from SCA’s North American headquarters, which achieved LEED-CI Gold status in 2006.
The LEED® Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.
“We are extremely proud that our new dispenser center joins our corporate headquarters in being recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council for its environmentally sustainable design and operation,” said Don Lewis, President, SCA Tissue North America. “This latest achievement underscores that our commitment to the environment includes not only our eco-certified products and processes but also our workplace spaces.”
“With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, SCA Tissue’s Dispenser Innovation Center is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement.”
The center, which opened earlier this year, hosts the North American engineering and project development work on Tork® dispenser systems. It facilitates the creation and testing of dispenser prototypes and the ongoing evaluation of products in realistic conditions that simulate washroom and foodservice prep environments.
The renovation of the 12,000-square-foot space was managed by Tom Cummings, SCA Tissue Product Director - Tabletop, who worked closely with Partridge Architects, Inc. of Philadelphia. “In renovating the space to meet our specific needs while striving for certification as a green working environment, we made a point of reusing as much of the existing structure and materials as possible,” Cummings said.
Carly Willard of Partridge Architects said steps taken to meet LEED criteria in the renovation included:
- Installation of low-flow plumbing fixtures and occupancy sensors in each room that automatically conserve lighting and power
- Specifying ENERGY STAR equipment and appliances
- Maximization of daylight views for employees
- Use of low-emitting materials and materials with recycled content of at least 10 percent
- Re-use of 60 percent existing conditions
- Diversion of at least 75 percent of construction waste away from landfills
The center is located in close proximity to public transportation and amenities, but certification status was further enabled by the installation of a bike rack and shower/changing area for employees and the creation of a recycling area within the tenant space, Willard said.
Peter Zajaczkowski, Director of Dispenser Systems, Global Hygiene Category, manages the center in Philadelphia as well as a dispenser development staff in Gothenburg, Sweden.
About SCA and SCA Tissue
Headquartered in Philadelphia, SCA Tissue is one of the three largest producers of Away From Home tissue products in North America and the first American papermaker to earn EcoLogoCM certification for its environmentally sustainable processes and products. SCA Tissue annually turns more than 750,000 tons of recycled paper into tissues, towels and napkins under the global Tork brand. Tork products can help toward the earning of LEED credits.
Parent company SCA, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, was named the second greenest company on the planet in 2007, a member of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by The Ethisphere in 2008 and 2009, and a Top 100 Sustainable Company for five years running by the Corporate Knights. More information is available at www.sca.com.
About USGBC and LEED
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization that certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. USGBC is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, and its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™. SCA is proud to be a USGBC Member.
About Partridge Architects
Partridge Architects is a full-service architecture, planning and design firm located in Center City Philadelphia specializing in interior architecture and design for the commercial market. The firm has been at the forefront of the sustainable design movement, from spearheading the first LEED-CI Gold project anywhere in the U.S. to leading the certification initiative for Philadelphia’s first LEED-EB O&M building. The firm is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Delaware Valley Green Building Council.
#
Media contact:
Tom Lyons
Public Relations Senior Manager
Directions, Inc.
(920) 725-4848
tlyons@directions.com