Corning greets Earth Day with LEED certification
April 2009
Corning has a new symbol of its commitment to environmental stewardship. The Decker building -- which houses the heart of Corning’s engineering team and recently completed a two-year renovation project -- has received one of the nation’s highest designations for green buildings, verifying that it’s an environmentally responsible, healthy place to work.
The Decker building is now officially a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building, a nationally recognized designation from the United States Green Building Council. It’s Corning’s first LEED facility worldwide.
LEED-certified buildings must go through an audit and meet a wide range of stringent requirements. They must demonstrate that their design intrinsically lowers operating costs and increases asset values. The building, both in design and operation, must reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, provide a healthy and safe environment for occupants, and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
The building’s improvements include:
- Increased comfort, with better insulation and a tighter envelope protecting it from the outside environment. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system was upgraded, building pressurization was corrected, and heating and cooling was added to the atrium.
- A recycling program cuts down on building waste of cans, paper, and plastic.
- New carpet, made from recycled materials, has Low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) – meaning a reduction in toxic material.
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