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A Look at How B&A Helps Clients Succeed with Sustainability

As we recognize Earth Day, Bulley & Andrews looks at some of our key sustainable projects and the impact of green building.

B&A has been constructing sustainable and environmentally conscious projects for more than a decade. This includes the first LEED Platinum house of worship in the world, the first LEED Platinum Montessori school in the US, and the first LEED Platinum private school in Illinois.

B&A is always interested in working with our clients to create projects that are environmentally responsible, energy and cost efficient, and healthy places to work, learn, heal and live.  A selection of these projects are highlighted below:

Northwestern University: Kresge Centennial Hall, LEED Platinum

Nortwestern University’s Kresge Centennial Hall renovation incorporated renewable energy to the scope of work for the 1954 building. B&A worked with Northwestern to install 254 solar panels to the building’s roof. The array is capable of generating 81 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power five percent of the LEED Platinum building’s electric fixtures.

Video from our construction drone (shown below) provides a birds-eye view of the solar panels.

Additional sustainable features include:

  • Low-flow fixtures to reduce water consumption by 35%
  • Radiant ceiling panels to heat space without increasing air temperature
  • Low-emitting paints, flooring, and sealants to minimize emissions of pollutants

Chiaravalle-Montessori-Exterior-1

Chiaravalle Montessori School: North Wing Addition, LEED Platinum

Playing an important role in Illinois’ ranking as the third top state for LEED Building by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), Chiaravalle’s North Wing addition incorporated several innovative sustainable elements including:

  • a green roof
  • photovoltaics
  • geothermal heating and cooling system
  • ecologically conscious building materials

Integrating with students’ everyday learning experience, an Educational Dashboard provides an interactive look at the building’s sustainable features.

The school was recently recognized by the USGBC as one of three Illinois Green Ribbon Schools. The program recognizes schools that save energy, reduce costs, protect student and staff health and wellness, and offer environmental education.

The project is believed to be the first LEED Platinum Montessori school addition in the United States and the first LEED Platinum private school addition in Illinois.
B&A Green Roof

Bulley & Andrews: New Headquarters, LEED Certified

B&A considers sustainable building vital to the construction industry. As such, when it came time to build our own headquarters, we included numerous green initiatives. Our roof deck includes a green roof, every floor is equipped with water bottle refilling stations, and we re-purposed our former building’s basement, turning it into a water retention basin. Additional sustainable features of the building include:

  • LED lighting
  • Daylight harvesting
  • Low to no VOC paints
  • Reduced water use, including removal of sprinkler systems
  • Bike racks and employee shower facility to encourage biking to work