HVAC Contracting

George W. Bush Presidential Center Certified LEED Platinum

The variety of sustainable features of the George W. Bush Presidential Center earned the building LEED Platinum certification.

DALLAS — The new George W. Bush Presidential Center has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, its highest level of certification. It is the first presidential library to earn LEED Platinum certification for new construction.

Manhattan Construction built the George W. Bush Presidential Center on a 23-acre lot on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Manhattan now has the unique distinction of being the only contractor to have built two presidential libraries.

The Bush Center had an April 25, 2013 dedication, which was attended by all five living presidents, and it was opened to the public on May 1.

“It has been an honor to build the George W. Bush Presidential Center,” said Mark Penny, Manhattan Construction project executive. “Manhattan has long been committed to developing technologies and techniques to support green construction and we are thrilled for the project to receive the highest level of LEED certification, Platinum.”

Some of the sustainable features of the building include:

• High-efficiency HVAC systems to reduce energy demand.

• Mechanical air filtration to maintain high indoor air quality.

• Deep building overhangs and sunshades to minimize solar heating loads.

• Insulated glazing units to reduce heating and cooling loads.

• Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to meet 9.5 percent of the building’s energy demand.

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• Solar hot water to supply 100 percent of the building’s domestic hot water needs.

• Green roofs, gardens, and highly reflective roofing materials to reduce heat island effect.

• Low-VOC emitting products and finishes to maintain high indoor air quality.

• Recycling of waste generated during construction.

• Regionally-sourced building materials.

• Use of 20 percent recycled materials.

• Native landscape species to reduce irrigation need.

• Harvesting and storing rain water to meet 50 percent of the irrigation demand.

• Pre-treating of rain water before storage.

The 226,500-square-foot building holds the George W. Bush Library, including the archives and museum, and the George W. Bush Institute.

For more information about the George W. Bush Presidential Center, visit http://bushcenter.org. For more information about Manhattan Construction, visit www.manhattanconstruction.com.

Publication date: 5/6/2013