Puerto Rico's Most Sustainable LEED Building Receives Platinum Certification from USGBC

WESTON, Fla. - June 3, 2014 - PRLog -- The Spinnaker Group Inc., sustainable design consultants, has received their 80th LEED Certification for the Department of Veterans Affairs Mayaguez Outpatient Clinic project in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The project is the most sustainable, healthy and environmentally sound building in all of Puerto Rico, according to LEED standards. This LEED Platinum clinic, that serves America's Veterans, has achieved the highest level of LEED Certification available. It provides over 130,000 square feet of sustainable healing and is free of toxic construction materials. Low VOC paints, coatings, and finishes exude wellness and provide enhanced air quality to the interior spaces. Other features include Exemplary Performance in the On-Site Renewable Energy as well as the Optimized Energy Performance categories. This was achieved in part to the large amount of solar panels installed on site, totaling nearly 3 mega watts of energy, which provides 85-90% of the facility's total energy. Because the price of energy is at a premium in islands like Puerto Rico, installing solar panels removes the burden of relying 100% on grid energy, which costs nearly 10 to 11 times the amount when compared to that of U.S. energy cost. The Clinic also received Exemplary Performance in the category of Water Use Reduction by implementing a rainwater harvesting system that includes a 160,000 gallon cistern. All of the rain and storm water is captured and then redistributed back throughout the building for reuse. Similarly, the condensate water is also reused for 100% of the flush fixtures in the building, rather than being piped away, off-site. The project also attempted and earned credit for a Pilot Credit (a new credit which has not yet been implemented into the LEED rating system) for Sustainable Wastewater Management. The project is also complete with low emitting, fuel efficient vehicle parking as well as van pool parking. Bike racks and showers located conveniently  on site encourage employees to bike to work, reducing the carbon footprint and promoting more environmentally friendly forms of transportation.

The Spinnaker Group is a South Florida based green-building design and engineering consulting firm whose team of architects and engineers has extensive knowledge in the application of all LEED rating systems.  The Spinnaker Group helps companies achieve green building goals including design consulting, commissioning, specification writing and energy and daylight modeling.  Involved in more than 200 LEED projects throughout the region and internationally, The Spinnaker Group has certified 82 LEED projects.  In 2013, The Spinnaker Group won "Business of the Year" recognition by the South Florida Business Journal, and worked on the first-ever LEED for Neighborhood Development project in Miami, the Miami Design District.  For more information, visit www.thespinnakergroupinc.com.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, overseen by the U.S. Green Building Council in Washington, DC, is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.  LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art "green" strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.  LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building techniques and the LEED Green Building Rating System.