Two recent projects by St. Louis-based Vertegy — one in Missouri and the second in Illinois — have been awarded LEED Gold certication.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced that Jordan Valley Community Health Center, located in Springfield, Mo., and Hillsboro Area Hospital and Hillsboro Area Health System, located in Hillsboro, Ill., were both awarded LEED Gold certification, becoming the 29th and 30th facilities that Vertegy has been credited with helping to achieve this level of certification.
Of the 30 projects in Vertegy’s portfolio, five are certified at the LEED Platinum level, 10 at the LEED Gold level and 11 at the LEED Silver level.
“It is so rewarding to see that so many owners and developers are becoming aware of the benefits of green building,” said Thomas Taylor, general manager of Vertegy. “We are thrilled to play such an integral part in helping clients achieve their sustainability goals.”
Jordan Valley Community Health Center provides primary medical, dental and behavioral health services to individuals in Southwest Missouri.
The owners recently reached out to Vertegy, Alberici Constructors and architect The Lawrence Group to renovate a more conveniently located existing building/site. The goal was to transform the existing facility to provide the larger space needed to accommodate the health center’s growing accommodations, while promoting accessible and environmentally friendly features.
Vertegy, which served as the LEED consultant on the 72,000-square-foot building renovation and re-allocation, assisted the project team in incorporating environmentally friendly interior finishes such as super glass to create an energy-efficient design, clerestory windows and expansive day lighting. The project team was also able to reuse 92 percent of the existing structure, and more than 60 percent of the construction and demolition waste was carefully diverted from the landfill by way of recycling centers and reuse.
Additional sustainable elements include:
* White membrane roofing material to decrease the heat island effects to the surrounding area * Water-efficient flush/flow fixtures like dual-flush water closets, low-flow urinals and low-flow lavatory and kitchen faucets * Vegetation and pervious paving blocks which replaced the existing impervious pavement * Use of whole-building simulation for energy modeling to help provide information about the energy efficiency of the building and guide the design process, resulting in an estimated energy savings of more than 28 percent.
To help the 22,700-square-foot addition to the Hillsboro Area Hospital and Health System achieve LEED Gold certification, Vertegy partnered with Alberici Constructors, architecture firm Space and leaders from the hospital to incorporate several sustainable elements into the facility. These features, which helped garner the LEED Gold certification include:
* A white membrane roof and a portion of high albedo paving surfaces to decrease the heat island effects * Dual flush toilets, 0.5 gallons per flush urinals and low-flow lavatory and kitchen faucets * Landscaping that requires no permanent irrigation * Preferred parking for carpoolers and low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles * Use of whole-building simulation for energy modeling to help provide information about the energy efficiency of the building * Vegetated, open areas for over 50 percent of the site * Refrigerants chosen with regard to ozone-depleting and global-warming potentials * Use of recycled and regionally-sourced materials, and careful diversion of more than 75 percent of the construction and demolition waste from the landfill.
