Perkins+Will Designs More Than 150 LEED-Certified Projects

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, leading global interdisciplinary design firm Perkins+Will officially announced that it has surpassed its 150 LEED-certified projects milestone. In fact, 155 of the firm's projects have been LEED certified, including 20 LEED Platinum. The 150th LEED certification, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), went to Gwinnett Medical Center's Strickland Heart Center in Duluth, Georgia.

"Perkins+Will takes sustainable design very seriously," said Perkins+Will President and CEO Phil Harrison. "It's at the heart of everything we do, and LEED certification is just one marker of our commitment. We strive to go beyond what's currently accepted to create buildings that move the marker of what's considered sustainable forward."

Among the 20 LEED Platinum projects is Perkins+Will's Atlanta headquarters at 1315 Peachtree Street, which is the second-highest LEED-certified building in the world under the 2009 LEED for New Construction rating system. This remarkable rating was achieved using a variety of forward-thinking methods, such as microturbines and an adsorption chiller on the building's roof, that completely transformed the 1980s building. By using natural gas to produce electricity, the building's carbon footprint was reduced by 68 percent to comply with the 2030 Challenge for reduced greenhouse gas emissions. This has helped the building cut energy consumption by 58 percent.

Another top LEED Platinum certification on the Perkins+Will roster is the Dockside Green Phase Two Balance project in Victoria, British Columbia, which was the firm's 100th to garner LEED certification. It joined sister project Dockside Green Phase One for a tie as the highest-scoring LEED project worldwide at the time of its certification in early 2011.

"Perkins+Will continues to inspire the building industry with their projects, demonstrating that the highest efficiency is possible," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chairman of USGBC. "We applaud them on certifying their 150th LEED project."

Gwinnett's Strickland Heart Center earned LEED for Healthcare certification at the Silver level by including elements such as a comprehensive waste management program that diverted more than 90 percent of construction waste (over 1,600 tons) from landfills. The building also improved energy efficiency by 19 percent over baseline measures. Perhaps most importantly, the design team avoided building products containing substances thought to be detrimental to human health by utilizing Perkins+Will's Precautionary List, a free online tool developed by the firm to aggregate current research on materials and their effects on health.

The Strickland Heart Center joins other leading Perkins+Will-designed sustainable healthcare facilities—such as Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, certified LEED Gold earlier this year—in demonstrating Perkins+Will's dedication to patient-oriented, sustainable healthcare design.

For more information about Perkins+Will, visit http://www.perkinswill.com.

For more information about Perkins+Will's Precautionary List, visit http://transparency.perkinswill.com.

About Perkins+Will
Established in 1935, Perkins+Will is an international interdisciplinary architecture and design firm founded on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance society. With a staff of 1,500 in 24 locations worldwide, the firm serves clients across a broad range of project types and grounds its work in deep research. Perkins+Will ranks among the world's top design firms and is the recipient of hundreds of awards. Social responsibility is fundamental to the firm's outlook, work and culture, and every year Perkins+Will donates one percent of its design services to non-profit organizations. With pioneering tools to advance sustainable design practices, the largest green building portfolio in North America, more than 1,000 LEED® Accredited Professionals, and a commitment to the 2030 Challenge, Perkins+Will is recognized as one of the industry's preeminent sustainable design firms. For more information, visit: www.perkinswill.com.

SOURCE Perkins+Will