Quakers’ Green Building Earns Silver LEED Certification: First Green Building on Capitol Hill Offers Model for Energy Conservation
For immediate release: September 4, 2007
Contact: Maureen Brookes, 202-903-2530,
Washington…The newly-renovated, environmentally-friendly headquarters of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) has earned a Silver certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building certification system of the U.S. Green Building Council. The Quaker lobby’s high performance, energy-efficient green building allows the group to cut projected energy consumption by 48 percent.
The LEED system was designed as a voluntary national standard for high-performance, sustainable buildings that maximize sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
“LEED certification affirms our General Committee’s decision in the late 1990s to rebuild our two aging row houses on Capitol Hill, using green technology that allows us to walk more lightly on the earth and that provides a model for energy conservation that others might follow,” explained Executive Secretary Joe Volk. “Buildings in the United States account for nearly 50 percent of U.S. energy consumption and 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. We are working with Congress to promote green building design.”
FCNL’s work in Washington includes advocacy for environmental protection, reduction of U.S. oil dependence, and the use of renewable energy sources. In July 2003, the organization began renovations on its Civil War-era office building to reflect its commitment to reduced energy consumption and vision for an earth restored. Construction was completed in August 2005.
The building was designed by Burt Hill architects Gina Baker and Harry Gordon. Kfoury Construction Group acted as contractor for the building reconstruction, and Tim Ralston of Ridgewood Associates served as External Project Manager.
Members of Congress, municipal officials, the American Institute of Architects, and other groups have explored opportunities to replicate the FCNL building’s energy conservation design. In mid-July, sixteen members of Congress joined hundreds of others in celebrating FCNL’s green building.
The building’s green features include geothermal heating and cooling, a vegetated roof, eco-friendly office furniture, a “light scoop” to bring natural lighting into the building, bamboo floors, energy efficient windows, and bicycle parking. While adding to the building’s initial construction costs, these energy-saving features provide long term savings that will allow FCNL to recoup the extra cost in about five years.
Interviews, photos opportunities, and tours are available for members of the media. Please visit our website for additional information and a virtual tour of the building.
The Friends Committee on National Legislation, the oldest registered religious lobby in Washington, is a non-partisan Quaker lobby in the public interest. FCNL works with a nationwide network of tens of thousands of people from every state in the U.S. to advocate for social and economic justice, peace, and good government. For more information: http://www.fcnl.org
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