LindenPointe Project Introduction

The LindenPointe Project is a combination of technology and nature as the area’s best architects combined with LEED project managers to create an institute that will build our community and local economy. The building uses LEED standards and is projected to be a LEED Certified Silver Building. The LEED certification means that the materials, workers and consumed energy used in construction, and when the building will be up and running, are environmentally friendly.

Six students from Hickory High School are documenting this history making process: Jared, Dan, John, Corey, Kaitlin and Alyse. We all take pride in being part of the team of professionals that are building a better future for our community. We have had great opportunity as we have met different Government leaders, local and national, as being granted permission to sit in on all of the seminars and meetings that the building teams have had thus far.

We hope that with the completion of this project our community will thrive through this incubator and many new business ideas will become a reality for hardworking individuals in our community. We know this building will become the first step to a better local economy and give our community a better, more promising future.

 

John

The current project that the city of Hermitage is undertaking is a LEED building in the LindenPointe Development. This building is being made in the hope that it attracts technology based companies to Hermitage from across the country. This building is being made using new technologies and it is looking to get LEED Silver Certification. This is the first building in Mercer County looking to achieve Leed Certifications. Leed is a nationally recognized Green Building code system. LEED  is more than green building, it’s about a building’s longevity and its impact on the environment. The business incubator is being made to draw businesses from across the country and give them the resources to expand. The building will provide developing companies with a state of the art facility to expand their business.

So far the building process is going smoothly as far as I am informed. The steel framing of the building is mostly complete and they have moved onto laying brick. They have yet to enclose the building but that will be a major step to completion.

Jared

Coming into the construction of the new building at LindenPointe, not many people knew exactly what LEED was. Yeah, people knew it had something to do with “Going Green” but not really anything else. On October 7th, however, Michael Embrescia taught many people, including myself, on what LEED  is all about. LEED is a voluntary-based national standard for developing new buildings that are good for the environment. It gives the builder framework into meeting certain goals. In more of a basic way to explain it, LEED is like the nutrition label you find on food.  Just like food has calories, fat, and protein, your building has certain things specific to it. For example, your building will receive points for how environmentally friendly it is.

As for the construction side of the project, I am in charge of following the electrical side of the building. Because there is no building yet, there isn’t much wiring done yet. Basically they laid the groundwork. They put pipes and wiring stations throughout the site. Also, there is a ground station that pretty much powers all of the equipment. At the end they will take this station out.

January, 2010

Since last time I’ve checked on the building many things were finished and being work on. One big thing the contractors did was run CMU pipes though the blocks, or wall. This is so the wiring can be inside the wall and hidden from sight. Also, they installed a temporary station to power the trailers. In the next month they are working on the CMU pipes in the walls and they need to install a cable tray on the ceiling. This will also hide the wires from sight and also help guide the wires.

Cory

October , 2010

On October 6, 2010 a LEED representative, by the name of Mike Embrescie came to Hermitage, Pennsylvania to inform, and help a group of fellow architects, engineers, plumbers, electricians and so forth to understand what LEED building can do for both the person buying the house and the environment.

CO2 Emissions mainly come from:

1. Buildings
2. Transportation
3. Industry

What LEED is trying to do is reduce the amount of CO2 by building “Healthy Buildings.” Statistics say that 12% of energy used is water-usage, 39% on CO2 emissions, 65% waste ouput, and 71% electricity consumption. Those numbers can add up to a lot of money in the long run so when you build a LEED building, the building itself will be more expensive than a normal building would be, but you will end up spending less on your bills. LEED building can reduce energy use by 24%-29% CO2 emissions by 34%-39%, water-use by 40% and solid waste by 70%.

A LEED building has an “Ingredient List” like on the side of a cereal box. These items show you what the building has to offer. After seeing what the building has to offer, each item is graded on a “Report Card.” For example, you may get a 10 in electricity consumption. Out of a possible 100 points total, you can achieve a certain rank within the LEED requirements. You can be LEED certified, LEED silver, LEED gold, and finally the top rank is LEED platinum. Green building fundamentals can be applied while in that building, and help you achieve a certain rank. You can reuse paper. You can recycle, for example, having different categories like glass, aluminum, paper, trash bins and so forth. Applying these simple non time-consuming principles can help your building, yourself and the environment.

January 13, 2011

Renick Construction is moving along quite well. They’ve hung the supports that will keep the piping in the ceilings up and they are still in the process of finishing up the toilet work. The work progress is moving quickly but in the plumbing, you have to wait sometimes to get your work done while others work around the plumbing.