Oct. 1, 2008 - The 17,000-square-foot complex at the heart of Research Triangle Park - the largest high-tech research hub in North America - has taken Silver from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The building has been awarded LEED Silver certification for its attention to sustainable design in a new construction. (The building was completed in 2007.)

"The RTP Headquarters was designed to be a central gathering place for the RTP community at large," says RTP board member Tallman Trask III. "The open floor plan and state-of-the-art technology blend seamlessly with the many sustainable design features inside and out."

Some of these features include:

• Siting the building to take advantage of natural daylight
• Sourcing regionally produced, recycled-content materials for copper panels, structural steel, carpet tile, and ceiling tile
• Employing FSC-certified wood throughout the space, and furniture fabric made of renewable corn husks
• Implementing a highly reflective white roofing membrane to keep heat out
• Installing energy-efficient windows and low-flow water fixtures
• Incorporating water-efficient landscaping with native plants placed to reduce "heat island effect"

"The RTP Headquarters is a project that confirms the value of an integrated approach to design," says Travis Hicks, design team member from O'Brien/Atkins Associates. "From the site design to the building design to the interior design, we ensured that sustainability was integral to every aspect of the building."

The LEED Green Building Rating System awards points for meeting specific criteria in six major environmental categories include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each category.