GreenSage E-zine 08/2008

LEED in Rochester: Not One, But Two Green Building Plans

The ESL Federal Credit Union rising soon in downtown Rochester showcases not just one new green building plan but PAETEC Holding Corp. showcases the second. Bravo Rochester!

The downtown area, on the upswing, is helping to lead the way in popularizing environmentally friendly buildings, seen as key in the battle against energy waste and global warming. Power generation for commercial buildings causes even more carbon emissions than automobiles in the United States, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

ESL decided to make its six-story headquarters a "green building," seeking LEED certification from the Council. The Council is a nonprofit agency in Washington, D.C., that works with the private sector to increase efficiencies.

Once approved and verified, the building will win LEED certification. "We have identified 30 points we are looking to achieve," said Kevin Marren of LaBella Associates PC, the engineering an architecture firm for ESL.

The $50 million building will aim to reduce water use by 30 percent, reuse heat in the data center and elsewhere, allow bicycle parking on site, and use natural light. ESL estimates that the project will generate approximately 250 construction jobs and is committed to using local labor. The building will feature energy-efficient technologies - likely including a geothermal heating/cooling system - that will reduce utility costs by more than 30 percent per square foot compared to ESL's current offices.

Current energy prices have made every business conscious of price and waste, said Walter Rusnak, ESL chief financial officer. Rusnak said their design was already near the basic LEED standard and may ultimately achieve the "silver" LEED plaque.

Although we've been unable to confirm it, we have heard that also in the running for a LEED plaque is PAETEC Holding Corp., which plans a new headquarters at the Midtown Plaza site in Rochester. The building could run up to 37 stories and cost $200 million.

PAETEC Chief Executive Officer Arunas Chesonis, who has funded solar-energy research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the building's preliminary sketches could include solar panels and possibly on-site wind turbines to generate power.

"We're considering everything," said Dave Mihalyov, PAETEC communications director.