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Staff Photo by Angela Lewis Taylor Bowers, architect with River Street Architecture, places a glass plaque on the wall on Friday during a gathering to celebrate the company's Leed certifcation.
Chattanooga hit a milestone Friday as it marked its first LEED-certified building, officials said, adding the city has come a long way from being tagged as the nation’s dirtiest 40 years ago.
“This is so important,” said Mayor Ron Littlefield about the restored building at 714 Cherry St. “It sets high standards and horizons for Chattanooga.”
About 30 people watched as a glass plaque signifying the designation was affixed to a brick wall, ranging from early city environmental advocate Dave Crockett to Chamber of Commerce chief Tom Edd Wilson.
Matt McGauley, vice president of building owner Fidelity Trust Co., said it cost about $1 million to rehab the 10,000-square-foot building that was raised around the turn of last century.
He said the building garnered Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.
LEED certification offers independent, third-party verification that a building project meets green building and performance measures.
The structure, which held the Hamilton Hotel for many years, now holds River Street Architecture on the first two floors. The third was built out as condominiums with a separate entrance in the back.
Taylor Bowers, a project manager for River Street, said the firm was looking for a place to relocate and wanted to go through the LEED process.
“We can guide clients to see if it makes sense for them,” he said.
Building for LEED certification adds 8 percent to costs, he said, including fees, paperwork along with the green upgrades.
Mr. McGauley said the project scores points for reusing materials from the interior’s demolition.
“It was all right here and ready to go,” he said, adding fuel and landfill space was saved because it wasn’t hauled away.
The building earned points for a cork floor and sugar cane countertop in a conference room, Mr. McGauley said. Both are considered rapidly renewable resources.
The building has a green roof of 10 different types of sedum, and some of the walls feature opaque polycarbonate panels to let more light through.
Other buildings in the city are working toward LEED certification, including the new BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee campus.
The 714 Cherry building drew a gold certification, just below the top platinum level.
The number of credits accrued in five green design categories — sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality — determines certification level.
The organization green/spaces and the Enterprise Center’s Renewal Community program provided financial incentives for the Cherry Street project.
Craig Peavy, also a River Street project manager, said LEED certification is here to stay. In some cities, a public building can’t be done without it, Mr. Peavy said.
“The private sector is starting to realize the benefit,” he said.
Mike Pare, the deputy Business editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, has worked at the paper for 27 years. In addition to editing, Mike also writes Business stories and covers Volkswagen, economic development and manufacturing in Chattanooga and the surrounding area. In the past he also has covered higher education. Mike, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Florida Atlantic University. he worked at the Rome News-Tribune before ...
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