Southface Energy Institute
Atlanta, GA
Southface Energy Institute's mission is to promote sustainable homes, workplaces and communities through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance. Lord, Aeck & Sargent won a competition to design the Green Demonstration Office adjacent to Southface's Energy & Environmental Resource Center. The new building will demonstrate environmental design and construction practices, as well as high-performance materials and technologies for commercial projects. The design includes classroom, office and conference areas and integrates the natural and built environment through a whole-systems approach.
The project is targeting Platinum-level certification by the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Rating System. Environmentally responsible strategies include:
- Vegetated roof to filter stormwater and reduce the urban heat island effect
- Aggressive daylight harvesting design to meet a majority of the building's lighting requirements
- Decoupled ventilation system with desiccant dehumidification and displacement ventilation
- Rainwater harvesting, ultra low-flow plumbing fixtures and native and adapted landscaping to reduce potable water use
- Optimized building envelope, high efficiency systems and on-site power generation to meet minimum 65 percent energy optimization beyond the energy code
- Emphasis on utilizing regional, high-recycled content, low emitting, salvaged and regional materials
- Natural stormwater management
