Dallas, TX (10 October 2011) – The new 13,000-square-foot Research and Development Center for Encore Wire Corporation, located in McKinney, Texas, has been awarded LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Designed by the Dallas office of PageSoutherlandPage, the Center achieved Platinum certification – the highest level of LEED certification offered by the USGBC – for innovative solutions related to energy use, lighting, water and materials, along with other sustainable strategies.

PageSoutherlandPage Vice President, Michael J. McCoy, AIA, LEED AP, said, “Early in the project I received a call from Encore Wire Corporation regarding the 3-5% projected construction cost premium for a LEED Gold Certified facility. I was anticipating a reduction to a LEED Silver Certification; I was so pleased to hear the words ‘we will achieve LEED Platinum Certification’! The project has been intellectually challenging for all who were involved, a pleasure to design, and I applaud Encore Wire Corporation for their sustainable stewardship; they have raised the bar on what a research facility can and should be.”

As one of three facilities in North Texas that have achieved LEED Platinum certification and the only LEED Platinum certified research and development facility in the region, the building and site include several green design and construction features that positively impact the building as well as the surrounding community.

• • Sixty percent of the total site area (excluding the building footprint) was reestablished with native or adaptive planting.
  • High efficiency, low wattage exterior lighting decreases light pollution of the surrounding environment and community.
  • High efficiency lighting was utilized throughout the building with motion and daylight sensors for optimum energy performance and savings.
  • The exterior window design and placement provides daylighting and views to 90% of the occupied spaces while the exterior aluminum sun shades provide shading on all four elevation of the building.
  • The building utilizes roof mounted photo voltaic solar collectors for building electrical power (minimizing grid-supplied electric power) and for hot water generation.
  • Office furniture, laboratory casework and accent paneling use rapidly renewable bamboo and/or recycled and reclaimed materials.
  • The parking lot provides preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles and carpools and was constructed with high albedo concrete, which has a higher solar reflectance and can decrease the “heat island effect.”
  • Where applicable, construction materials were purchased from manufacturers within 500 mile radius.
  • The contractor was able to divert 75% of the construction waste away from public landfills and into recycling programs for steel, concrete, wood, and masonry.

PageSoutherlandPage, which also designed the headquarters facility for Encore Wire in McKinney, provided programming, planning, architecture, interiors, MEP engineering and LEED consulting for the Research and Development Center. MYCON General Contractors of McKinney was the contractor.

PageSoutherlandPage team members included Michael J. McCoy, AIA, LEED AP; Bill Phillips, AIA; Hanh Hua, AIA; Frank Chung; Dick Robinson, AIA, CSI; Greg Nollkamper; Garry Walling, IIDA, AIA; Alexis Pearl, LEED AP, RID; Brittney Lee; Katherine Hough, LEED AP, RID; Wes Garwood, AIA, LEED AP; Brad Cheshire, PE; Jared Reimer, PE; Nate Paoinchantara; E. Lynn Broyles, PE; Ron Wyman, PE; Jim Koss, PE; Terry Woodall, PE; Dale Robinson, PE; Linden Tracey, PE; Jose Cruz and John Mehl.

Media Contact:    Nancy Acker Fleshman - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it