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 May 26, 2010 Source: Novus International news release The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) announced the selection of the Novus International Global Headquarters Campus as one of the first landscapes to participate in a new program testing the nation's first rating system for green landscape design, construction and maintenance. Novus International, a leader in animal health and nutrition, will join more than 150 other pilot projects from 34 states as well as from Canada, Iceland and Spain as part of an international pilot project program to evaluate the new SITES rating system for sustainable landscapes, with and without buildings. Sustainable landscapes can clean water, reduce pollution and restore habitats, while providing significant economic and social benefits to land owners and municipalities. The Novus International Global Headquarters was awarded Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2009. Platinum certification is the highest designation available to buildings that demonstrate energy efficiency and sustainability. The building, located in Missouri Research Park, was the fourth building in the state of Missouri and one of fewer than 150 buildings in the United States to receive the designation. SITES, a partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden, selected The Novus Headquarters Campus based on its extensive environmentally friendly elements. The Novus Campus joins the Smithsonian Institution's African American History & Culture museum, a New Orleans' project to absorb storm water on the streets of the Lower Ninth Ward flooded during Hurricane Katrina, and other projects that include academic and corporate campuses, public parks with hundreds of acres, transportation corridors and private residences of less than one acre. The Novus Headquarters Campus was designed by SWT Design and is being constructed by Landesign LLC. The 9 acre site was developed to set a new standard in sustainable site development in the area. Like the other pilot projects, the site will test the point system for achieving different levels of site sustainability on a 250-point scale, and the performance benchmarks associated with specific credits within the Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009. The project addresses several sustainable design best practices addressing hydrology, wildlife habitat enhancement and monitoring, improved soils and vegetation with an emphasis on using regional materials and finally features that address human health and well being of site visitors. Every aspect of this project intends to focus directly on the Guiding Principles of a sustainable site found at the link below. SITES will use feedback from this and the other selected projects during the pilot phase, which runs through June 2012, to revise the final rating system and reference guide by early 2013. The U.S. Green Building Council, a stakeholder in the Sustainable Sites Initiative, anticipates incorporating the guidelines and performance benchmarks into future iterations of its LEED Green Building Rating System. More information is available at: http://www.sustainablesites.org. Tweet |
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