Built to Save: Energy and water efficiency at new Greenville federal courthouse

October 09, 2020

 

First in a two-part profile on GSA’s efforts to build a more sustainable and efficient federal courthouse

The new Carroll A. Campbell Jr. U.S. Courthouse, currently under construction in Greenville, South Carolina, will include several design elements intended to create savings in the building’s water and energy costs.

GSA’s project team expects these eco-friendly features will help the 193,000 square-foot courthouse achieve LEED Gold-certification once the building is complete in summer 2021.

“The energy and water-saving features in this design will extend the life of the new courthouse while lowering its overall operating costs and providing occupant comfort,” said Laura Shadix, GSA’s project manager. “Over time, this will translate into a return of investment to taxpayers in the form of significantly lower utility costs, “

Better plumbing and water-saving landscaping

A common site visitors can expect to see throughout the new facility will be high efficiency plumbing fixtures, such as toilets, sink faucets and water fountains. When compared to mere code-compliant fixtures, these much higher-performing fixtures use as much as 35-percent less water, generating significant savings over time.

A special irrigation system that collects rainwater and condensation from the facility’s HVAC system will help reduce outdoor potable water consumption for landscaping. In addition, native and adaptive plants will be incorporated into the landscaping, and the soil will have a thick layer of mulch on top to trap moisture. Bioswales have also been integrated into the landscape design to help reduce stormwater runoff.

Creating real energy savings

Throughout the design process, GSA established project requirements to include energy-related systems intended to reduce energy use and lower operating costs, resulting in fewer contractor callbacks, better building documentation and improved tenant productivity. In total, the project team estimates 26-percent annual savings on energy consumption above baseline energy models for comparably sized buildings, much of which will come from high-efficiency interior and exterior LED lighting.

In an effort to track and evaluate annual energy usage,  advanced meters will be used to measure roughly 10 percent of the building’s total annual energy consumption of the building. These meters will record both consumption and demand and will then transmit any data collected for remote evaluation. Thanks to these meters, Region 4’s Public Buildings Service will have a more accurate snapshot of the courthouse’s annual energy use and in determining what areas energy consumption can be improved.

“As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we have an obligation to do everything in our power to reduce the amount of resources used at the federal facilities we manage,” said PBS Regional Commissioner Kevin Kerns. “Thanks to the hard work of our project team, Greenville’s new federal courthouse will cost significantly less to operate and manage while providing our tenant agencies and visitors with a healthier, more productive environment.”

For further information on the LEED green building rating system on sustainable building design and operations, visit the U.S. Green Building Council’s website.