Kohler Co. was recently awarded Silver LEED® Status from theU.S. Green Building Councilfor its work to transform the company’s Environmental, Health and Safety building into a more environmentally efficient structure.
Davor Grgic, senior vice president for Kohler Co., led a team of several associates for this project, which started 18 months ago. The building achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use, as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies.
LEED verifies environmental performance, occupant health and financial return. LEED was established for market leaders to design and construct buildings that protect and save precious resources while also making good economic sense.
To earn Silver LEED status, Kohler made several enhancements to the building’s interior and exterior, along with installing several upgrades and monitoring devices for energy and water usage. A 50 percent reduction in water usage was achieved by installing new faucets and fixtures in the bathrooms, including Kohler’s own Steward waterless urinal. High-efficiency toilets, such as its Highline 1.1 gpf, were also installed. .5 gpm faucets with Kohler Tripoint Touchless Technology all contributed to the significant water savings.
New landscaping around the building includes native Wisconsin plant life, all of which is easy to maintain and are able to grow without the use of herbicides and extra potable water. A green cleaning program was developed for the building, for which environmentally-friendly cleaning products are used exclusively to maintain the building. Natural lighting is utilized throughout the building, and in the areas extra light is needed, low energy, long-lasting compact fluorescent bulbs are used.
Kohler received all five points in the Innovations Category for LEED, a not-so-common achievement for a LEED-EB building (Existing Building). A unique water bottle filter and fill station helped play a role in this accomplishment. The Kohler EHS building is one of only several LEED-EB buildings in Wisconsin.
Source: Kohler Co.
