North Carolina AIA Design and Building Team Panel On Downtown Raleigh LEED Platinum Project

Oct. 14, 2008 - PRLog -- Raleigh, NC – The North Carolina Triangle Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced that they will host a panel of experts to provide three different perspectives on a current Raleigh green commercial building project at their upcoming luncheon meeting on Thursday, November 6th at the Radisson Hotel in the Research Triangle Park. The panel discussion, entitled Follow Us as We LEED, will focus on the American Institute of Architects (AIA) headquarters project in downtown Raleigh, an in-progress LEED platinum project.

The 12,000-square-foot structure is intended to meet both LEED Platinum standards and the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment objectives. The building will house staff offices and a lecture hall for presentations and feature a community recycling center and an outdoor area for concerts and farmers’ markets. Architect Frank Harmon has employed cutting-edge green building elements such as photovoltaic cells, a rooftop garden, and geothermal wells.

Harmon, a competition-winning architect of multiple LEED projects, will be one of the panelists offering his views of the project from the architect’s perspective. Joining him are David Crawford, Director of the American Institute of Architects NC Chapter, representing the owner’s perspective and Scott Cutler, VP of Marketing at Clancy & Theys, one of the top contractors in the US, representing the contractor’s perspective.  Lori Eichel, President of Accent Construction and Membership Committee Chair for NC Triangle Chapter of USGBC will moderate the panel.

Members and guests are invited to hear what these involved leaders have to say about what’s working and not working in LEED projects of this magnitude, what they wish they had known at the beginning, and lessons learned to date.

Those interested in attending the event must register by Wednesday, October 31st. Registration for the luncheon program is $15 for students and members of Emerging Green Builders (EGB) committee, $25 for members of the NC Triangle Chapter, and $35 for guests. The program begins at 11:30 am with registration and networking. Lunch is served at noon. The program concludes at 1:30 pm. A business meeting of the NC Triangle Chapter of the USGBC will be held from 1:30 – 2:30 pm. Pre-registration is required and walk-in registration is not available. Seating is limited so attendees are encouraged to register early at www.triangleusgbc.org. This program qualifies for 1.0 AIA-HSW CEU. The Radisson Hotel is located at 150 Park Drive, Research Triangle Park NC 27709. For questions or more information contact Lori Eichel, lori@accentllc.com, 919-636-4503.

About The North Carolina Triangle Chapter of the USGBC

The North Carolina Triangle Chapter of USGBC envisions a healthy future through the promotion and application of sustainable strategies to the built environment. Comprised of architects, engineers, contractors, interior designers, landscape architects, government officials, developers, business owners, product manufacturers, individuals and students, the chapter aims to be the regional point of contact to promote construction practices and buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. Anyone interested in sustainable design is invited to join the organization. Visit www.triangleusgbc.org to learn more.

About LEED

LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a national green building standards setting program; more than 400 buildings in NC have publically registered their intent to achieve this standard with the US Green Building Council.  According to the USGBC in late September 2008, more that 4.3 billion square feet of buildings in the world have registered to meet these standards which focus on sustainable building practices including efficient use of water, energy and natural resources, land development and indoor air quality.

About USGBC

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. USGBC is composed of more than 15,000 organizations from across the building industry that are working to advance structures that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. Members includes building owners and end-users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, designers, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and building system manufacturers, government agencies, and nonprofits.