Peckham just received Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for its 191,000 square foot Old Town Lansing facility.
The community rehabilitation organization opened its new 191,000 square foot headquarters in March, but received the certification in September.
“We built the idea that you can minimize your carbon footprint into our facility,” says Peckham President Mitchell Tomlinson.
The building has low-flow water fixtures, was constructed using more than 30 percent recycled material and includes a more than 6,300 square foot green roof. 98 percent of the building's workspace, including factory workspace, has natural light.
The additional 191,000 square feet was added to the existing 140,000 square foot warehouse.
“We call it the Green House,” Tomlinson says about the building. “We named it that because we put a lot of effort into making it feel natural and green.”
The building certainly does feel natural and green. The open floor plan is inviting and the exposure to natural light is invigorating, even on cloudy days.
Peckham is a nonprofit organization that offers more than 30 different programs and services in community employment, facility-based employment and job-readiness programs for those with disabilities. It also offers youth services and life skills for area high school students.
Aside from adding green components to the building, Peckham also constructed an indoor waiting space for its workforce that uses public transportation. The sidewalks are also heated, an effort to prevent falls during the winter.
“We are trying to create a safe environment for people to work in,” he says.
Source: Bonnie Zimmerman, Peckham
Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.
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