Southeast Sunbelt Region Uses Sustainable Design to Bring Building Back to Life
February 28, 2013
It’s Back to the Future for George C. Young Federal Building...
Just 8 short years ago, George C. Young Federal Building and Courthouse was on life support. Built in 1975, by 2007 it appeared that its best days were far behind it. Many of its long time tenants including the U.S. District Court and other federal agencies had left for greener pastures in the newly constructed building on the opposite side of the courtyard.
It may have been down but it was definitely not out.
The talented project team at Region 4 put together their own version of “Extreme Makeover – GSA edition” and brought the building back to life
With funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the 183,000 square foot, six story building underwent what some refer to as a “gut rehab”. Contractors totally demolish all the interior finishes and walls…and while it may look as good as new …it’s actually even better.
Embracing the best in sustainable design and construction, the project team replaced every window, introduced an advanced mechanical and electrical system, incorporated a water collection system for the flushing of toilets and for make-up water for the cooling towers and replaced the roof with an Inverted Roof Membrane Assembly (IRMA) system that protects the membrane with the new roof insulation. Further advances include sophisticated ice making & storage technology for a new supplemental chiller plant, a solar hot water system, and day lighting for interior spaces to reducing the need for artificial electrical lighting. Additional insulation in the exterior walls and in the IRMA roof system, along with more efficient equipment will reduce energy usage by the building by over 40%.
The building is projected to receive a LEED-Gold or better rating from the US Green Building Council. Through this project, an unused federal building has been transformed into an environmentally sustainable and efficient workplace … for decades to come.
