DATE: May 02, 2008

CONTACT: Bob Geolas, (864) 283-7100
geolas@clemson.edu

WRITER: Sandy Woodward, editor, (864) 656-1220
sandra@clemson.edu

U.S. Green Building Council recognizes CU-ICAR’S Collaboration 3 (Timken) building for sustainability excellence

GREENVILLE — The Furman Co., Development LLC, Pazdan-Smith Group Architects and The Harper Corp. have been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Core and Shell Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the Collaboration 3 building at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville. This is the first project in the state to earn the Gold- level certification for core and shell construction. It also is the first LEED Gold certification in the city of Greenville, first LEED-certified building at CU-ICAR and the second LEED certification in Greenville County.
 
LEED Gold is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in key areas of human and environmental health. Core-and-shell encompasses base building elements such as structure, envelope and the HVAC system. LEED verifies environmental performance, occupant health and financial return. LEED was established for market leaders to design and construct buildings that protect and save resources while also making good economic sense.

“LEED Certification identifies the CU-ICAR Collaboration 3 building as a pioneering example of sustainable design and demonstrates leadership in transforming the building industry” sid Richard Fedrizzi, U.S. Green Building Council president, CEO and founding chairman.

Collaboration 3 is is the first of three buildings The Furman Co. hopes to develop at CU-ICAR. The 117,000-square-foot, two-story facility includes offices, a high-bay area, five-ton crane and product prototype and development laboratory space to facilitate the needs of its current tenant and campus partner, The Timken Co. Using the LEED rating system to guide the process, the development team employed strategies to reduce energy and water use and create a healthy indoor environment. Some of the sustainable design features include raised access flooring, under-floor air distribution, operable windows, sun-shading and no irrigation.

“We are pleased that our efforts have been recognized by receiving a LEED Gold designation” said Steve Navarro, president of The Furman Co. “Incorporating environmental best practices into our development projects is an important way forward as we establish ourselves as a leader in creating environmentally responsible buildings.”

Development Manager Jason Klue said, “As a team, we set out to create a state-of-the-art office/laboratory shell that was highly efficient and environmentally beneficial. As good stewards toward the community, we will promote these same standards as we move forward to the development of Collaboration 1 and 2, as well as future projects that we become involved with.”  

Pazdan-Smith Group was charged with the architectural design of Collaboration 3. It was challenged to provide a non-dominant  innovatively sustainable structure to support and house complex automotive research. Within the building there is a consistent transparency between spaces and circulation routes are highly visible so that there are multiple opportunities for spontaneous interaction between students and fellow researchers.

“This has proven to be a key component to the success of creative research environments. More importantly, however, the building was designed to be a model for performance and to significantly exceed present efficiency standards” said Jeff Tiddy, AIA, LEED AP, project architect.

Construction was completed by The Harper Corp. Green building practices in construction included the use of recycle-content building materials such as the aluminum storefront and curtainwall, steel paneling, glass and black closure-size brick masonry units. Over a third of the material, by cost, was made from post-consumer and pre-consumer recycled content.  

“We were very pleased to participate in this LEED project. Our firm is one of the leaders in the Southeast in constructing green buildings according to LEED standards. It is one of our core beliefs that we should make every effort to build sustainably and protect our environment. We applaud the efforts of the entire team in achieving this goal” said Doug Harper, president of The Harper Corp.

Hailed as one of the most revolutionary public/private economic development projects in the world, CU-ICAR is projected to create knowledge-based jobs on a campus designed to accommodate millions of square feet. Sustainable and responsible development and construction are integral to the campus plan.

“LEED certification embodies the standards of sustainability that are of key importance to CU-ICAR and to Clemson University in all its building activity for the future,” CU-ICAR Executive Director Bob Geolas said. “We are very excited about this honor for Collaboration 3 and for the CU-ICAR campus. This building is aptly named, because it is the collaboration among The Furman Co., Pazdan-Smith and The Harper Corp. that made the gold certification possible. We congratulate them.”

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The Furman Co. Inc., which was established in Greenville in 1888, is a full-service commercial real estate, development and insurance services company. The Furman Co. Development LLC offers its clients expertise in comprehensive development services within an expanding market for corporations and institutional entities wishing to relocate or to escalate their presence in the Southeast. Furman Development’s professional staff includes project and development managers whose combined backgrounds encompass planning, civil engineering and site analysis, among other specialty services. See the company’s Web site for more information,
www.furmanco.com.

Pazdan-Smith Group is a 15-year-old studio-based design firm with special focus in urban, campus plus community, retail and health-care design, serving clientele desiring creative, innovative solutions.

A full-service general contracting firm, The Harper Corporation serves health-care, commercial, industrial and institutional clients throughout the southeast from its headquarters in downtown Greenville.  

The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) is a new model for economic development in South Carolina, matching Clemson’s strengths in automotive engineering with the state’s strong automotive economic cluster. Located on the Interstate 85 corridor between Charlotte, N.C., and Atlanta, CU-ICAR is situated in the center of the Southeastern automotive and motorsports economy. The 250-acre “technopolis” is where BMW, Michelin, Timken, Sun Microsystems, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and other corporate partners, including AT&T, are joining with Clemson to focus on automotive research and other transportation and advanced manufacturing issues. The state of South Carolina also is a key partner through legislation created to support economic development and innovation. The Research Centers of Economic Excellence Endowed Chairs Program, which provides dollar-for-dollar matching funds for corporate investment to recruit top faculty to the state, has funded four such endowed chairs at CU-ICAR. To date more than $225 million in public and private funds have been invested in CU-ICAR, and more than 500 jobs have been generated. More information is available at www.clemson.edu/autoresearch.