LEED Gold & Silver at the Village at San Antonio Center

Jun 20 , 2018 Bay Area

 

The Village at San Antonio project is a LEED rated development.

So what does it mean to be a LEED rated project? Simply said, if a building is LEED rated, it means that the owner of the building has dedicated thought, effort and resources to making the building more earth friendly.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is established by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and is an organization dedicated to the improvement of the built environment. The USGBC is an independent non-profit organization that receives no federal funds.

The LEED process resolves around a collection of potential building characteristics which can be built in to the project to make it more environmentally friendly. In order to get a LEED certification, a project must reach a certain number of points for different levels of certification (certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum). Points address project location, water and power usage, products used, construction processes and also gives points for the design team that ‘thinks outside the box’.

Buildings within the Village San Antonio development have achieved enough LEED points for a rating of at least SILVER with the office buildings leading the way with LEED Gold.

The Village at San Antonio Center has taken the following steps to improve its Green status:

  • A site that allows for community growth, access to mass transit, repurposing of previously poorly developed land and increased connectivity between work & play.
  • The development includes ample bicycle storage and charging for electric vehicles to promote cleaner transportation.
  • Water usage is minimized by using water saving fixtures and irrigations systems.
  • Efficient mechanical and electrical systems allow for more comfortable spaces requiring less power while taking into account the comfort and positive environment for the users.
  • The glass on the office buildings which changes tint in order to provide a reduction of direct sunlight heating the interior space.
  • Use of local materials, recycled materials and low VOC materials.
  • Recycling of over 70% of construction waste.

For more information on the LEED process, visit the USGBC website: https://new.usgbc.org/