As the first LEED-NC v2.0 Gold project certified in the United States, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) Cambria office building has won numerous awards since its completion, including selection as one of 5 U.S. buildings to participate in the 2000 Green Building Challenge in Maastricht, The Netherlands, one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Buildings for the 21 st Century, and one of the AIA’s TOP Ten Green Buildings nationally in 2000.

7group consulting services incorporated energy and daylighting consulting, energy modeling, and materials selection based on life cycle assessment (LCA) comparisons. Resulting energy consumption of only 22.340 btu/sf/year was achieved, equating to 66% energy savings or $25,000 annually. Passive solar design and proper orientation allow ample natural lighting into the building’s open office space.

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A 14.3 kW photovoltaic array installed on the roof displaces over 30% of the building’s energy cost. Other energy efficiency measures include a high performance thermal envelope and an underfloor supply air distribution system coupled with ground source heat pumps. South-facing light shelves attached to the windows allow more indirect daylight in reducing the need for artificial lighting, which is limited with photocell sensor dimming and occupant sensors installed throughout the building. The impact and source of building materials used for the project were given special consideration, 74% of building materials by cost contain high recycled content and 25% were manufactured locally. With guidance from LCA performed during the design process, locally harvested hemlock wood siding was selected for its low impact.