Heery Headquarters Earns LEED Gold
ATLANTA — Heery International recently earned LEED Gold for commercial interiors certification for the renovation of the firm’s 58,000-square-foot corporate headquarters office in Atlanta.
The architecture, interior design and engineering firm provided new finishes and lighting throughout the space, and modernized the reception area, elevator lobby, break rooms, and conference and meeting spaces.
Sustainable features at the firm’s headquarters included low VOC materials that contain as much recycled content as possible.
Designers specified that 85 percent of the wood used be sourced from a certified sustainably managed forest, and 50 percent of interior construction materials were extracted and manufactured within a radius of 500 miles, according to Heery officials.
The firm’s new energy-efficient lighting systems use 27 percent less energy, resulting in estimated annual savings of $9,000, and all construction waste throughout the project was recycled, officials reported.
"Our renovation incorporated so much of what we promise our clients – beautiful design, spaces that promote productive teamwork, smart applications of technology, and the clever use of sustainable materials," said Heery President Bill Heitz.
The project also showed the firm’s project delivery skills, he said.
"From day one, we were united on all discipline fronts – design, engineering, and construction management," he said.
The extra costs for targeting LEED certification was $80,000 – 1 percent of the total cost, said Glenn Bellamy, executive associate at Heery.
The firm expects the extra costs to be paid back in savings in two years, which represents a 14 percent return on investment, he said.