During the 2015 Greenbuild, Joe Yang, General Manager of East China, is invited by Mr. Mehash, COO of USGBC to visit USGBC headquarter in Washington, D.C. with Shougang Group delegation, which is a LEED-Platinum-certification office building.
As the creators of LEED, USGBC uses its office space to broaden the public's knowledge and awareness of green building strategies from a lessons-learned perspective. By invited to tour the space, we are able to share insights on how the project came together and use the space as a teaching tool by outlining its environmental and human health benefits.
Most common visitors to USGBC headquarters are building industry professionals such as architects, engineers and interior designers. The next categories by volume are government officials, contractors and international delegations, especially groups from China.
Product manufacturers visit often, especially those who donated materials to the space and want to show clients their product in a high-profile project. USGBC also get students from grade school to grad school, as well as an occasional group of scouts.
Joe has a lot of favorite design features of the space, it's tough to choose, but here are a couple:
Sweet gumwood walls: These walls are an incredible feature in USGBC HQ elevator corridor and front lobby. The wood was salvaged from the Tennessee River after being logged in the 1800s. Each piece of wood has a different color variation based on how deep it was in the riverbed; the deeper is was, the darker it is.
Eco-corridor: This space is located throughout the office, next to our floor-to-ceiling windows. We pulled the workstations away from the windows and created a perimeter walkway of beige carpeting, which acts as a light shelf to bounce sunlight deeper into the office. On bright days, there's no need for overhead lighting because there's so much daylight streaming in.
Showers:they have a dedicated bike rack in the building garage, because LEED requires the company to have a place for staff members to shower and change. While there is a state-of-the-art fitness facility in the basement, it’s a great amenity to have showers in the space that are easily accessible.
Game room: While the room is used more by children of the staff, it is fun that they have the option to take a break by playing Wii, PlayStation or foosball.
