SAN FRANCISCO, California, July 6, 2004 (ENS) – San Francisco has adopted a Green Building Ordinance, set to take effect in September, that will require many new city construction projects, renovations, or building additions to follow green building design principles. The aim of the law is to increase energy efficiency, promote the environment, and increase employee productivity. "This Green Building Ordinance will translate into millions in savings on future operational costs on new construction," said Jared Blumenfeld, director of SF Environment, the city's environmental department.
The Green Building Ordinance, sponsored by Supervisor Tom Ammiano, requires that all, city-owned facilities and leaseholds will need to achieve at least a LEED Silver certification. LEED, the green building rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council, stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
Located in Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences is rebuilding to be a natural history museum and research center that is not only one of the largest but one of the greenest in the country. The museum is projected for the highest rating, LEED Platinum.
The 370,000 square feet facility will feature solar panels and an environmentally friendly roof that will capture and reclaim millions gallons of rainwater before it can become storm run-off. Its floor to ceiling glass walls will suffuse public spaces in natural light and integrate the interior space with environment of the park.
The buildings are rated on a four-step scale from lowest to highest: LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, and LEED Platinum. LEED criteria evaluate a building's environmental and energy efficiency performance from a "whole building" perspective, over the course of a building's lifecycle, which provides a definitive standard for what constitutes a green building.
In order for a building to qualify as green, it is analyzed under six categories – site consideration and closeness to public transportation; water efficiency and the management of water consumption, distribution, treatment, and storage; energy and atmosphere, including alternate energy sources such as solar panels; materials and resources from recycled products; indoor air quality including the use of high quality cleaning and painting materials; and innovation in design.
The Laguna Honda Hospital addition is also striving to meet the new green building standards. The design shows that the new 1,200 bed rehabilitation healthcare facility will use 30 percent less energy then the code requires, which is estimated to help save the city more than $7 million over the course of the first 10 years. At least 75 percent of all construction and demolition debris will be recovered or recycled from this new addition. Residents will have access to natural lighting and ventilation and views of a 62 acre forest.
The ordinance is good for the city and will help improve the health of our environment and the thousands of employees that continue to provide services for this community," says Blumenfeld. "This city leads by example and together we can hope this will encourage the private sector to adopt similar building measures."
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