Alpharetta, GA – In April 2010, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that DeKalb County’s new Sanitation Administration Building and Central Transfer Station was awarded LEED Certification. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – LEED – is USGBC’s award program to incentivize sustainable construction innovations.) The facility includes a transfer station for recovery of recyclables and yard waste (for processing into mulch), and consolidation of municipal solid waste into larger loads for transport to the County’s landfill. The integrated Administration Building houses Sanitation Department personnel. The facility was designed and constructed to showcase practical operations and environmental conservation features. SCS Engineers (SCS) managed the application for LEED certification in collaboration with key subconsultants Toland & Mizell Architects and Atlantic Coast Consulting. Several LEED-certified professionals were involved in the process.
The facility is built on the site of a former industrial plant which was remediated in accordance with both EPA and LEED requirements. During construction, 95% of the construction and demolition debris was diverted from landfill disposal, and over 20% of the materials used for construction were made from recycled products. Native drought-tolerant plants are used in landscaping to eliminate the need for a permanent irrigation system. In addition, the HVAC system was designed to reduce energy use by 21% below the minimum code requirements. LEED signage throughout the facility provides information to the staff and visitors about the sustainable features of the building.
The LEED certification process was managed by professionals in SCS’s Alpharetta, Georgia, office.