Environmental Design + Construction - November 2008 - (Page 106)

CASE STUDY By Gale Tedhams Commitment to Energy Efﬁciency + Sustainability ATTENTION TO DETAILS, LARGE AND SMALL, ADDS UP TO LEED-EB AND ENERGY STAR CERTIFICATION FOR OWENS CORNING’S WORLD HEADQUARTERS. Owens Corning, a 70-year-old Fortune 500 company, put its money behind its values when it built a 400,000-square-foot corporate headquarters that met U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards before such standards existed; the building was planned with eventual LEED certification in mind. The Owens Corning World Headquarters building was LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB 2.0) Silver certified in 2006, 10 years after it was completed. (LEED certification for new construction wasn’t launched until 2000 and the LEED for Existing Buildings platform was introduced in 2004.) Site Selection and Innovation Supporting the company’s commitment to sustainability, the focus began with the selection of the site for the headquarters. Glen Hiner, then Owens Corning CEO, was working to break down the silos he perceived in the company, whose 10 business units tended to work as autonomous units. With the help of a team headed by Project Manager Jim Eckert, (who’s now director of corporate real estate), Hiner did just that, while modeling sustainability. The building’s relatively narrow footprint, combined with its glass walls, creates a pleasant environment for employees. Offices and work areas are near windows, but not next to them, so interior walls don’t block daylight. Most OWENS CORNING’S WORLD HEADQUARTERS IS CROWNED BY AN ARTISTIC REPRESENTATION OF THE COMPANY LOGO THAT FUNCTIONS — ARCHITECTURALLY AND AESTHETICALLY — AS THE GRAND ENTRANCE. ALSO KNOWN AS “THE TOWER,” IT HAS PORTHOLES THAT DOT ITS EXTERIOR AND FLOOD THE TWO-STORY ATRIUM WITH THE CHANGING LIGHT OF DAY. PHOTOS COURTESY OF OWENS CORNING. Owens Corning’s World Headquarters facility exemplifies the company’s mission statement: Greening our products; greening our processes, accelerating the pace of energy efficiency in the built environment. From something as small as light bulbs to something as significant as the corporate headquarters, Owens Corning is living its values every day. And since 1996, it’s been doing so in a corporate headquarters that’s a tangible embodiment of the company’s commitment to sustainability. Owens Corning World Headquarters is located in downtown Toledo, Ohio, on an industrial site that formerly was a derelict railway switchyard. The company restored or reclaimed more than 55 percent of the 42-acre site to its natural state. Avoiding the manicured grounds typical of corporate headquarters, the site is low-maintenance, with native vegetation and an abundance of wildlife that’s a pleasant surprise in the middle of an industrial city. The facility has become the cornerstone of urban renewal in downtown Toledo. 106 ed+c N OV E MBE R 08

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Environmental Design + Construction - November 2008

Environmental Design %2B Construction - November 2008 Contents Web TOC Editor's Note Newsline New %2B Notable Green by Nature Award Winner: Juvenile Justice Award Winner: Desert Living FSC Special Section Designing a Greener Building with BIM The Case for Modular Creating a Rustle Lessons Learned The Move Toward Sustainability Lead by Example A%2B Rating Nurture by Nature Commitment to Sustainability Eyeing the Future Work of Art Green has Gone to the Dogs Sensible Upgrade Moisture Issues in Courthouses Green Build - Green Product Buzz Guide Benefi ts of BIM Product Focus Marketplace %2B Classifieds Advertiser's Index Parting Shot

Environmental Design + Construction - November 2008

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