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Nicor Gas Des Plaines, Illinois
Epstein is providing LEED consulting and energy modeling services to Panattoni for the development of a new prototype reporting center for Nicor Gas in Des Plaines, Illinois. This 31,216 square foot facility, which will serve as the daily gathering place for Nicor's maintenance crews, features 16,650 square feet of materials storage space in addition to 14,500 square feet of office space, changing facilities, and gathering areas. The office/amenity space consists of two floors and is connected to the materials storage area. The materials warehouse consists of semi-conditioned space that is primarily used to stage fleet vehicles in cold weather conditions.
Although this is not the first building to serve this function for Nicor, it is one of a few to be constructed within the last 30+ years. This facility is intended to be a “sustainable prototype” for other new construction and renovations of similar nature for Nicor. The lessons learned from this development are intended to be compiled and shared within Nicor to measure the metrics and to benchmark future projects.
This particular project contains multiple sustainable features including:- Reducing pollution from automobile use through designated preferred parking for low-emitting/fuel-efficient vehicle users and designated parking for car pool vehicles. - Reducing the heat island effect by utilizing a high Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) white roof. - Optimizing energy through efficient placement and specification of site lighting and reducing light pollution. - This building will have a 48.5% water use reduction through the specification of Low-Flow plumbing fixtures. - Enhanced Commissioning is being incorporated into the project. - Beyond an Office Recycling program, Nicor is also incorporating an extensive recycling program to also include Aerosol cans, E-waste (electronics), PE Pipe, Scrap Metal, Tires, Used Oil and Fleet Materials. Nicor also will use only water-soluble/ biodegradable Low-VOC (Volatile organic compounds) solvents for parts washing in order to avoid producing hazardous waste when practicable. - A target to divert at least 75% of the construction debris from landfills. - An Indoor Air Quality Management Plan will be used to reduce air quality problems that normally occur during construction, as well as incorporating all Low-Emitting materials credits. - The project is also incorporating Low-Emitting systems furniture and seating through guided specification of new furniture. - A green education plan will be implemented to encourage and advance the science and knowledge base of green building and operating practices across a wide variety of audiences and participants in the industry.
Epstein's MEP engineers also performed an energy modeling analysis for six proposed alternatives for gas-fired radiant heaters and Nicor selected the most cost and energy-efficient solution.
Nicor is pursuing LEED-NC Silver certification for this facility.
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