The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Headquarters located outside of Annapolis, MD is considered by many to be one of the greenest buildings ever built. Completed back in 2000, the Merrill Environmental Center was the first building to achieve LEED Platinum under USGBC's version 1.0 rating system. Boasting heaps of green building strategies and eco-friendly materials, the building backs up its eco credentials by completing building commissioning and building performance studies to ensure it is operating according to its design standards. The center uses almost 60% less energy and 90% less water than a typical office building built around that same time.
Wow, what a great feature on the Environmental Center! Thanks so much for writing this up, Bridgette. All of us here at SmithGroup put a lot of value on sustainability and this project is one of the best examples of that.
It’s really incredible in person. If you have a chance to check it out, it’s worth the trip. Personally, one of my favorite features is that its location on the Chesapeake Bay allows some employees to commute by kayak.
Thanks again!
The building is truly special, beautiful in all aspects. They\’ve also added green roof and use strictly \”enviro-friendly\” stains, paints, and insecticides. The property also hosts osprey nests(one use to have camera feed!) and an apiary.
Like I said, special.