Fayetteville, Arkansas – November 17th, 2017: The Entegrity Northwest Arkansas Office, located at 121 West South Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas, has earned LEED Gold certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program. It is the first project in the state to earn certification under the latest, and most stringent, version 4 of the internationally renowned sustainable building rating system.
“Projects like the Entegrity Office in Fayetteville set a strong example of leadership in action” says Linda K. Smith, USGBC Director for Arkansas and Oklahoma. “They showcase how LEED v4 is providing project teams with a rigorous set of requirements and guidelines that when successfully implemented, can lead a 50 year old building to become a top performer, saving energy and combating climate change. This LEED v4 Gold certification is an opportunity to highlight the highest level of building performance in Northwest Arkansas and clearly demonstrates the owner’s commitment to sustainable practices. “
The major renovation, located a few blocks from the historic Fayetteville town square, is a single story 2,400 square foot building originally built in 1963. Entegrity purchased the property in 2013 and created an energy efficient open office floorplan while improving the sustainable landscaping features.
“We approached the project wanting to create a dynamic work environment for ourselves, but we also wanted to demonstrate to our clients that even a small project budget can achieve a high LEED certification level,” said Entegrity NWA Office Director, John Coleman. “The energy and water savings have been better than anticipated with an average utility cost of less than $100 per month.” Similar to Entegrity’s headquarters in Little Rock, the building has maximized energy efficiency opportunities and is net-zero energy ready.
The building’s renovation was guided by sustainable design and construction principles that took into account social, environmental, and economic priorities. Project highlights for the building include:
- Water use reduction of 46 percent.
- Energy cost savings of 49 percent (21 EUI).
- Native and adapted landscaping including a butterfly garden.
- Pedestrian-friendly site with bike storage, showers, and Complete Street design.
- Electric car charging station.
- High-capacity rain cistern.
“It is important to have a work environment that supports the needs and values of employees, and our office environment certainly does that,” says Entegrity employee, Meredith Hendricks. “From task lighting to abundant natural lighting, bike parking and showers and operable windows that bring the outdoors in on a nice day, our office provides employees a comfortable environment while providing opportunities to connect to the natural world.”
