The Design-Build Child Development Center (CDC), located at Fort Irwin, California and designed and constructed by RQ Construction, has recently received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The certification has been verified by the Green Building Certification Institute.
LEED Certification Ceremony at the Child Development Center
The CDC is a single-storey building and covers an area of around 25,000 sqft. The building, in addition to having16 class rooms, also incorporates administrative areas training room and staff lounge, a commercial kitchen, activity areas and outdoor playgrounds for children. A total number of 232 children aged six weeks to five years can be accommodated at the facility. RQ Construction has followed the U.S. Army Center of Standardization guidelines during the construction of the facility.
The building incorporates an efficient hot and cold water system connected to a central plant. The irrigations system installed in the building utilizes an automatic controller with devices to sense the rain and flow. A cool roofing system maintains the temperature within the building. Solar lighting fixtures are installed at sidewalks, parking, service drives, yards, entrances and perimeter of the building to cut down the use of fossil fuel generated power.
The building utilizes energy-efficient lighting that is managed by motion sensors to switch off the lights when not needed. The building utilized FSC certified wood products and more than 40% of the materials were procured locally within a 500 mile range. More than 96% of the debris from the construction site was recycled, thus preventing them from reaching landfills. Low-flow aerator tap and dual-flush toilet fixtures were used to cut down water wastage by 52%. Interior building materials have low volatile organic materials and toxic substances.
The project is the first ever LEED Gold certified Child Development Center in the Army and the first project to achieve LEED certification at Fort Irwin
Source: http://www.rqconstruction.com/