Raleigh church wins recognition for green building
Posted: 05-25-2009 : RALEIGH, N.C.

RALEIGH -- Umstead Park United Church of Christ has become the first church in the Southeast to achieve Gold level certification for its building under the national LEED program, which rates buildings for energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction and other environmental standards.

In an unusual arrangement, the church shares the building on Brownleigh Drive, adjacent to Umstead State Park, with BBH Design, an architectural firm that specializes in projects for higher education and health care. The jointly-owned building received the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

BBH Design performed the architectural work that led to the Gold certification for the 32,000-square-foot building. The architectural firm and the church purchased the building, which once housed a home health care business, in 2006. BBH Design and the church then renovated the structure with environmental sensitivity and moved into the building in 2007.

The Gold certification is the second highest of four levels of LEED certification. The certification recognizes the innovative reuse of the building as well as number of green features, such as:

• High-efficiency heating and cooling
• Recycled materials, including recycled carpets
• Priority parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles
• Bicycle storage and showers and changing rooms for cyclists
• Water efficiency
• Protection of habitat
• Maximum use of open space
• Construction waste management

The building is a reflection of the theology of Umstead Park UCC, which includes respect for the earth as God’s creation, said the Rev. Doug Long, the church pastor. “For us, there’s an obvious connection between the creator and the creation, so how we treat the creation is directly related to how we express our love for the creator,” he said.

The building also reflects BBH Design’s interest in protecting the environment, said Pamela Houston, a LEED-accredited architect who participated in project for the firm. “We believe in the sustainability movement in general and have always felt the best way to show that to the general public was to participate in the LEED certification program,” she said.

For more information, contact:
Doug Long, Umstead Park United Church of Christ, 844-6661 or doug@upucc.org
Trish Coulson, BBH Design, 460-6700 or tcoulson@BBH-Design.com

About USGBC
The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization with a vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies and other nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

About LEED®
The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments, schools and retail facilities. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED.