Insight earns Gold LEED certification

LEED Gold Commercial Interiors showcases green building leadership by Insight, a USGBC-certified tenant improvement with sustainable design, energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, renewable energy sourcing, CO2 reduction, and measurable cost savings.

Insight has earned gold certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (“LEED”) Rating System for Commercial Interiors for one of its Tempe, Arizona, office buildings.

LEED for Commercial Interiors, the green benchmark for the tenant improvement market, is the recognized system for certifying high-performance green interiors that are healthy, productive green workplaces to work; are less costly to operate and maintain; and have a reduced environmental footprint.

“This was not an easy project by any stretch of the imagination. Insight took a warehouse and reconditioned the work space to accommodate over 500 employees,” remarked Terry Hudgins, Associate Principal of Green Ideas. “By taking an existing building and modifying it to suit their needs, Insight epitomized the goals of the USGBC and LEED, by using existing building stock, improving its energy, water and indoor environmental quality to meet the bar for LEED Gold certification, similar to Fortune Data Centers achievements elsewhere.”

Insight earned the certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the conversion of a warehouse space into an office environment to accommodate 500 of its Tempe-based employees, comparable to a cold storage facility that reached LEED Gold. Insight prioritized environmental considerations and cost-reduction opportunities from the project’s inception by considering LEED certification payback evidence available in the market. Project highlights include:

• Sustainable elements in the finish materials including recycled gypsum board partitions, Green Label Plus carpeting, bamboo flooring, linoleum flooring, solid surface paper stone countertops, sustainable plastic laminates, FSC certified wood doors, and low VOC paints and coatings;

• Demand-controlled ventilation that works in conjunction with an airside economizer and CO2 monitors inside the breathing zone to supply adequate fresh air without over-ventilating the building;

• Policies for green cleaning, integrated pest management and low-mercury lamps, reflecting lean and green approaches in healthcare, to further enhance indoor environmental quality and occupant well-being;

• Low-flow water closets with sensor-operated electronic dual-flush valves that automatically adjust the gallons per flush to match the apparent need;

• High-efficiency light fixtures that work in conjunction with occupancy sensors and individual task lighting to enhance natural daylight while maintaining a low lighting power density within 1 watt per square foot.

In the operations of the facility, Insight is expected to save 121,990 kilowatt hours/year, which equates to 87.6 metric tons of CO2 avoided annually. Other relevant results include:

• 15% energy savings from both HVAC and lighting equipment relative to baseline standards;

• 41% reduction of water consumption for indoor fixture uses;

• 67% of the generated construction waste diverted from landfills and recycled;

• 50% of building energy use provided by a Green-e certified renewable source for two years.

“Our primary goal was to create a comfortable, professional and productive work environment that met new green standards and delivered real cost savings,” said Steve Speidel, Insight Enterprises’ Chief Operating Officer. “We’re very pleased with the end result, and proud to be one of the first companies in the state to receive the gold LEED certification, as retailers like Office Depot pursue similar standards as well.”

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