by Ann Withanee — January 14, 2011—Panduit Corp., a global leader in Unified Physical Infrastructure (UPI) based solutions, was awarded ASHRAE’s Illinois Chapter’s Excellence in Engineering award for its incorporation of sustainable design elements in its new World Headquarters building.
The award honors the most innovative technologies, design strategies, and a commitment to sustainability. Panduit was recognized for incorporating sustainable design elements in its pursuit of achieving LEED v2.2 New Construction Gold certification.
Panduit’s World Headquarters features one of the first installations of light shelves with integrated window shades in an open office environment. Light shelves help redistribute the sun’s direct light deep into the building and reduce the amount of powered light needed. This installation harvests sunlight to improve employees’ health and wellness, and it significantly reduces lighting costs: ninety percent of the work areas have exposure to natural light as workstation areas are all adjacent to exterior windows; offices are centrally located.
The building also features what is reportedly the first installation of a water reclamation system in an office building in Illinois. This system collects rainwater from the roofs and treats it for internal non-potable uses. The system is estimated to reduce the Panduit World Headquarters’ annual water usage by 30 percent (910,000 gallons projected savings annually).
Manual air dampers in each work area allow for individual control of airflow and temperature, which both increases employee comfort and the building’s energy efficiency. The building’s architectural wood trim accents used reclaimed redwood from old water towers and wine casks.
For more information on Panduit’s Connected Building Solutions, visit the company’s Web site as well as its FMLink ad.
