Highrise Aspires to LEED Platinum Certification

In What Will The City Look Like in 2010: Productivity, Metropolis Magazine reports on Genzyme's new corporate headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The 12-story, 350,000 square foot building will be applying for LEED Platinum certification, the US Green Building Council's highest rating. If successful, it will become the first Platinum certified building of this size in the United States.

According to the article, sustainable features include:

• The concrete structural frame adds thermal mass that contributes to energy efficiency. The concrete filigree system makes efficient use of materials, relies on locally produced materials, and is reinforced with recycled reinforcing bars.
• Natural daylighting is achieved with a mixture of skylights, fixed and motorized mirrors, prixmatic louvers, interior reflective surfaces, and blinds.


• A double wall glazing system along with selective use of reflective glass creates an energy efficient building skin.
• Heat exchangers reduce heat loss in winter heating mode. Steam absorption chillers, running entirely on waste heat from a nearby power plant, provide summer cooling. The building's atrium allows natural ventilation. Microclimate control allows localized control of heating and cooling in as many as 50 separate locations per floor.
• A system of water sensors control a water saving, on demand irrigation system for site landscaping.
• Sustainable site strategies include brownfield site development, urban redevelopment, and public transportation access.
• The project makes extensive use of sustainable woods and recycled materials.

More Information:
What Makes Genzyme Center a Green Building? provides more information about this project's compliance with LEED goals.
Genzyme's Genzyme Center web pages provide more information about the project in general.
Atlantic City NJ Casino Collapse, on this site, provides more information on the filigree concrete framing system.