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Using  "Green" Buildings on
Brownfields:   Using Innovative
Architecture to Improve  Performance
  EPA's Brownfields Program is designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to
  work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a property,
  the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse  of which may be complicated  by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous
  substance, pollutant, or contaminant.  EPA's Brownfields Program provides financial and technical assistance for brownfield
  revitalization, including grants for environmental assessment, cleanup, and job training.
   Green Buildings

   Green buildings complement EPA's philosophy that brownfields
   redevelopment projects should be environmentally friendly, energy-efficient,
   long-lasting, and safe for the local community. Green buildings represent
   resource-efficient models of construction and operation that are designed
   to use fewer resources and generate less pollution.  As part of its Green
   Buildings on Brownfields Initiative, EPA selected eight communities for
   Green Buildings on Brownfields Pilot projects. Through these Pilots, EPA
   has been working with communities to incorporate environmental
   considerations  into the planning, design, and implementation of their
   brownfields redevelopment projects.

   Some of the design considerations associated with green buildings include:

   •   use of environmentally safe and/or recycled construction materials in
       design;
   •   landscaping that reduces runoff and shades the structure;
   •   designs that reduce the amount of water and energy consumption by
       occupants;  and
   •   green roofs (roofs with plant covering to reduce direct heating and
       improve a building's appearance).

   EPA's initial eight Green Buildings on Brownfields Pilot projects are now
   underway, and  it is hoped that their progress and accomplishments will
   serve as models for similar projects to follow.  Assistance from EPA for
   these Pilots comes in the form of technical, financial, planning, and outreach
   services; design expertise; and/or other needed expertise as identified by
   the community. The Pilots are described below.

   The  Community  Center  Building,  Springfield,
   Massachusetts

   With assistance from EPA and the local government, the New North
   Citizen's Council (NNCC), a non-profit social service organization, plans
   to build a two-story, 25,000-square-foot building to replace its cramped
   and deteriorated offices. The project site is located on 1.2 acres, which

                                                   continued ^
                                                The new Montgomery Park Business Center
                                                      in Baltimore, Maryland.

                                               JUST THE  FACTS:
                                                 Sustainable development ensuring
                                                 that property reuses are
                                                 environmentally sound, safe, and
                                                 beneficial to the community has
                                                 always been one of the most
                                                 important aspects of EPA's
                                                 Brownfields Program.


                                                 In Baltimore, Maryland, the city's
                                                 Brownfields Assessment Pilot
                                                 helped facilitate redevelopment of
                                                 an historic catalogue distribution
                                                 center into a model green building
                                                 for office and technology uses.


                                                 Baltimore's new facility offers low-
                                                 energy heating, cooling, and lighting
                                                 systems; use  of recycled materials;
                                                 insulated windows; a green roof
                                                 that incorporates soil planting for
                                                 added insulation; abundant natural
                                                 light; and bike lockers and showers
                                                 for employees who ride to work.

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   includes NNCC's current offices and other city-owned brownfields. The Pilot project aims to meet the criteria and
   gain the certification of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
   program and the Energy Star for Buildings program.

   The National Aquarium in Baltimore's Center for Aquatic Life and Conservation,
   Baltimore, Maryland

   To meet the needs of a rapidly growing collection of current and future exhibits, as well as expanding programs in
   research, husbandry, and conservation, the National Aquarium in Baltimore is building a new aquatic animal care
   center. A seven-acre brownfield located near major highways and bus routes in Baltimore City is the planned location
   for the new facility. The Aquarium will seek a Gold or Silver LEED rating for the center.

   Community Culture and Commercial Center, Kauai, Hawaii

   This project is located on the island of Kauai, in Anahola, on a property that has frequently been used for the illegal
   disposal of automobiles, tires, appliances, batteries, and other items.  Reuse plans for the state-owned property
   include a senior care living center, an elderly independent living facility, a charter school, retail stores, office space,
   and other facilities. The state plans to design the buildings and landscape to be energy- and resource-efficient, using
   local building materials wherever possible, and to attain LEED certification. Some of the sustainable design measures
   being considered include alternative energy generation, natural ventilation and day-lighting, the use of recycled building
   materials, and the use of non-toxic finishes and materials.

   World Headquarters for Heifer International, Little Rock, Arkansas

   Heifer International, a non-profit organization devoted to ending world hunger, is developing its new world headquarters
   and an education center on a 28-acre brownfield in a former industrial area in downtown Little Rock. Heifer will seek
   a Gold LEED rating for the 100,000-square-foot building. Sustainable, environmentally sound features of the building
   will be highlighted in public education programs to illustrate environmentally responsible building practices.

   Volcanic Legacy Discovery Center, Mt. Shasta, California

   The redevelopment plan for this 127-acre former lumber mill property includes  10 acres for the Volcanic Legacy
   Center.  The center will be the centerpiece of a scenic byway stretching from Crater Lake in Oregon to Lassen Peak
   in California, and is expected to receive thousands of visitors each year. The center will include a 20,000-square-foot
   building with an auditorium, exhibit spaces with interactive and educational displays (including a section to demonstrate
   green building materials), a gift shop, other auxiliary spaces, and parking. Sustainable landscape design features may
   be incorporated into the reuse plan, with an area for shrubs and plants, a vegetative filter area, a wildlife pond, and a
   stormwater retention basin among the possibilities.

   ReGenesis Medical Center, Spartanburg, South Carolina

   ReGenesis, Inc., a community non-profit corporation, is purchasing a 33-acre brownfield for redevelopment as a
   health and wellness park. The property will include a community medical center providing integrated healthcare.
   Using green building technologies, the center will be designed to protect indoor air quality, reduce operation and
   maintenance costs, and protect the watershed of a nearby creek.
                                                                                              continued  ff

Brownfields Success Story                       Solid Waste                                      October 2003
EPA-500-F-03-249                               and Emergency Response (5105)          www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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    The Trailhead Building, St. Louis, Missouri

    Trailnet, Inc., a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop a system of trails, known as the Greenway, in the
    greater St. Louis metropolitan area, is converting a former power plant into an environmentally friendly building for
    office space. The building will also serve as a public place for people to meet, eat, get directions and information on
    the Greenway, and learn about the planet's third-largest watershed. Trailnet, working with local stakeholders and
    partners, aims to achieve a Gold LEED rating for the building.

    Marina District Redevelopment, Toledo, Ohio

    The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority is in the process of redeveloping the 120-acre Marina District brownfield on
    the east bank of the Maumee River, directly across from downtown Toledo.  The redeveloped area will include
    residential, commercial, recreational, and entertainment facilities. The Port Authority intends to use expert services
    provided through the Pilot to identify opportunities to employ green building technologies such as energy conservation
    measures, natural landscaping, natural stormwater management, and pedestrian-friendly site designs.

    Green  Building  Practices on Existing  EPA Brownfields Pilots

    Sustainable development ensuring that property reuses are environmentally sound, safe, and beneficial to the community
    has always been one of the most important aspects of EPA's Brownfields Program.  Incorporating green building
    designs into redevelopment plans has already proven successful for a number of EPA Brownfields Pilot projects.

    Washington, D.C.
   In southwest Washington, B.C., a former pumphouse along the Anacostia
   River has taken on a new life.  Once  the city's  Brownfields
   Redevelopment Action Team (BRAT) had identified the pumphouse
   as having redevelopment potential, the Brownfields Pilot leveraged
   $600,000 in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
   (HUD) funds for cleanup and infrastructure improvements.
   The Earth Conservation Corps (ECC), a District-based non-profit
   group, helped redevelop the site and opened the Matthew Henson
   Earth Conservation Center there in 2001.  ECC partnered with
   Sustainable DC, a nonprofit organization focusing on best practices
   in sustainable development, to determine the design of the facility by
   involving the community and obtaining feedback through several design
   charrettes.  A green roof for the building was constructed that filters
   stormwater before it runs into the river and reduces the building's heating
   and cooling costs.
                        A former pumphouse property in Washington, DC
                         has been redeveloped into a conservation center
                                   with a green roof.
   In addition to the new Conservation Center, the former pumphouse site is now a place for community members to
   picnic and relax. Two fishing piers, constructed on either side of the center, provide the community access to the
   river. James Willie, Program Manager for ECC put it this way: "To take a part of DC that has been completely
   industrial and to make greenspace out of it; to make it an ecological example of what kinds of things can be done in
                                                                                             continued
Brownfields Success Story
EPA-500-F-03-249
Solid Waste
and Emergency Response (5105)
          October 2003
www. epa.gov/brownfields/

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    a greenhouse space...not just a post-industrial space, but utilizing green roofs and making other innovative projects
    work here, it has really become a great example unto itself."

    Baltimore, MD

    In Baltimore, Maryland, the city's Brownfields Assessment Pilot helped facilitate redevelopment of the historic
    Montgomery Ward catalogue distribution center into a model green building for office and technology uses, called the
    Montgomery Park Business Center. The Montgomery Ward warehouse was built from 1925 to 1927 and at that time
    was the largest mercantile building in Baltimore. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places,
    making its redevelopment into a green facility an historic event as well.

    The business closed its doors in 1985, and in 1995 the Baltimore Brownfields Pilot targeted the site for assessment,
    cleanup, and redevelopment. The developer put the site through Maryland's Voluntary Cleanup Program and proceeded
    with a $3 million cleanup, which included removal of lead paint, asbestos, petroleum, and PCBs. Now the 1.3-million-
    square-foot Montgomery Park Business Center offers low-energy heating, cooling, and lighting systems; innovative
    uses of stormwater in toilet water; use of recycled materials; windows with insulated "Low-E" glazing; a green roof
    that incorporates soil planting for added insulation; abundant natural light; and bike lockers and showers for employees
    who ride their bikes to work. When fully occupied, the Business Center, which is located in an Empowerment Zone,
    will employ 3,500 to 5,000 people. Total private and public investment will reach $ 100 million, including $9 million in
    grants and loans from HUD and $2 million from Maryland's Brownfields Revitalization Incentive Program for lead
    abatement.

    Cape Charles, VA

    In August 1994, the President's Council on Sustainable Development selected
    Cape Charles, Virginia, as one of four sites for a national eco-industrial park
    demonstration project, to showcase advanced facilities in resource efficiency
    and pollution prevention.  An EPA Brownfields Assessment Pilot and an EPA
    Brownfields Showcase Community grant added to a growing commitment of
    private, state, and federal funding for this project.

    EPA's Brownfields grants funded environmental assessments on an abandoned
    25-acre dump as the center of a new 200-acre eco-industrial park. The eco-industrial
      , , _   , ., ,.    „   ,  ,   . ,    ,,,,, -   .„.         ,    ,       „„ n^n       r     The first building available for lease in Cape
    park s first building, funded with a $2.5 million county bond, was a 30,930-square-foot     Charles> Virginia's eco.hldustrM park.
    facility that included a solar electric roof system.  The largest of its kind  in North
                         America, this roof is capable of generating 42 kilowatts of power
                             for the building's tenants.

                                  Serving  as Examples  for  Future  Green  Building
                                   Projects

                                   As  more and more brownfields redevelopment projects utilize green building
                                   practices, EPA expects that they will serve as models for future projects. EPA
                                   hopes that eventually, most developers will recognize the environmental and
                                   economic benefits of green buildings, and that such designs will proliferate. By
                                   conserving resources and lessening the usual environmental impact of new
                                   construction, green buildings have the potential to improve the environment one
                                  structure at a time.
   To find out more about EPA's
 Brownfields Pilots and the Green
Buildings on Brownfields Initiative,
 visit EPA's Brownfields web site at
 http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
 or call EPA's Office of Brownfields
 Cleanup  and Redevelopment at
         (202) 566-2777.
I
Brownfields Success Story
EPA-500-F-03-249
                                                Solid Waste
                                                and Emergency Response (5105)
          October 2003
www. epa.gov/brownfields/

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