Best Green Project/Best Safety Project: Brock Environmental Center
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center is targeting LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge certification, which would make it the most environmentally sustainable building in Virginia. It’s one of fewer than 100 buildings worldwide pursuing full Living Building Challenge certification, which requires a building to operate independently of the public utility grid and create zero carbon footprint.
The 10,000-sq-ft building is the headquarters to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s outdoor environmental education programs in Hampton Roads. Green features include a net-zero energy, water and waste impact on the surrounding environment; state-of-the-art energy and water conservation; and sustainable production technology. The team had to avoid such materials as PVC, formaldehyde and halogenated flame-retardants.