The opening of its new world-class business headquarters in Suwanee, Georgia inspired the company to seek Green Globes® certification for multiple reasons.
“This facility utilizes our own equipment and we wanted to show how it aligns with a Green Globes-certified building,” notes Joe Vaughan, manager, of Application Support and Development at Mitsubishi. “Increasing efficiency and environmental awareness are important to us. Green Globes certification offers a way to provide guidance to our customers not only on how to design efficient and environmentally friendly facilities, but also [how] to be recognized for doing so.”
”The process was very simple to understand and implement.”
Beginning with the initial questionnaire, Vaughan recognized Green Globes was different. “I was often amazed at what the [questionnaire] covered and the detail it went into to ensure we received credit for each aspect of our building,” he says. ”The process was very simple to understand and implement.”
Adam Wilson, project manager at Atlanta’s Kajima Building & Design Group, was involved in the new headquarters’ design and construction and he found Green Globes to be a user-friendly certification tool. “The [questionnaire] was extremely thorough yet not too time consuming. The assessor was available to discuss everything and helped us understand the type of information useful for certification.”
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
- An integrated design approach and goals clearly identified in the pre-design phase
- Native vegetation landscaping and exterior lighting that reduces light pollution
- HVAC featuring a VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) zoning system that utilizes variable speed compressor technology
- Building Automation System that incorporates seasonal variations in controling lighting and HVAC
- Specified heating units with ultra-low nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions
- High-efficiency plumbing fixtures
Targeted Opportunities
Mitsubishi Electric’s team had a few questions as it finalized the survey, and the Green Globes Assessor provided useful assistance.
“The assessor clarified survey questions for us and made recommendations to make sure we received maximum credits for our environmental measures,” says Vaughan.
“Green Globes is so much more than a bulleted list of items to check off, and I learned there are many opportunities to increase building efficiency.”
When the assessor came for the onsite assessment, he found additional areas of improvement that carried limited financial impacts. “This was my first experience with Green Globes and I thought the assessor was very knowledgeable,” remarks Wilson. “Green Globes is so much more than a bulleted list of items to check off, and I learned there are many opportunities to increase building efficiency.”
Vaughan was struck by the personalization and helpful suggestions in the final report. “I didn’t feel that this was just another walk through for the assessor – he really seemed to care about our rating,” explains Vaughan. “The process gave us an opportunity to evaluate the cuvrrent status of our building and a roadmap to define our building’s future. We now have ideas for additional improvements to building efficiency and to further preserve the environment.”
