Products >> Green Building (LEED)

Enverity developed a Web-enabled green building tool, called GreenCompass (www.myGreenCompass.com), in partnership with Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI). Green Compass has greatly helped hundreds of clients evaluate their building stock, and understand and complete green building design, new green construction, existing-building green retrofits, as well as the LEED certification process.

This robust software tool is now available to any entity wishing to evaluate buildings against the LEED criteria and complete the LEED certification process.

Case-Studies: Below is a sampling of projects that have significantly benefited from incorporating the LEED application module:

• Johnson Controls, Inc.
• Ann Arbor School District
• National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is pursuing LEED for Existing Buildings certification for its headquarters in Washington, DC, as part of the pilot program.

National Geographic Society Headquarters
The National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, DC, is a reflection of the organization's commitment to the earth. When Christopher Liedel, executive vice president and CFO, and other top managers decided to make improvements to their building, participating in the LEED for Existing Buildings pilot program was a natural course of events. Liedel said that he wants the National Geographic Society to be the first non-profit agency to receive LEED for Existing Buildings certification.

Enverity guided building project managers through the LEED for Existing Buildings rating system helping them to apply it to their upgrades. Improvements include modifying the building system to improve energy and water efficiency, as well as providing additional bike storage for alternative transportation commuters. Facility managers have also made changes in some operational and maintenance procedures to increase environmental and economic responsibility.

Furman University

Furman University in Greenville, SC, is considering entering the pilot project with improvements being made to Plyler Hall.

Duke Library at Furman University
Furman University, in Greenville, SC, has taken a leadership role in sustainable design through a number of avenues. First, it has registered Hipp Hall for LEED 2.0 certification with the USGBC, the first building in the state to do so. Additionally, Furman is involved with an extensive research project to determine the effect land use has on water quality on major upstate rivers.

Recently, the university also expressed interest in being part of the pilot program for LEED for Existing Buildings.

"There are many buildings on campus that we could submit applications for acceptance to the LEED pilot program," says Wendy Libby, vice president for Business Affairs and chief financial officer of Furman University. "But right now we're looking at the improvements being made to Plyler Hall as the most likely project." The university has indicated that it will make whatever changes necessary to see that the building becomes certified under the LEED for Existing Buildings standard.

"There is real value in demonstrating that we are a leader in the sustainability movement, and LEED certification helps us do just that," Libby says.

LEED: “LEED is a self-assessing system designed for rating new and existing commercial, institutional and high-rise residential buildings. It evaluates environmental performance from a “whole building’ perspective over the building’s life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a green building. The new LEED-Existing Buildings rating system addresses building operations and maintenance as well as systems upgrades in existing buildings.” -- (Source: US Green Building Council website; www.usgbc.org)