Aerzen USA's Building Marks Highest LEEDCertification in PA for the Manufacturing Sector

Aerzen USA’s newly constructed building in Coatesville recently became Pennsylvania’s first manufacturing building to receive Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council under its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.

 

Aerzen USA is a manufacturer of high-end industrial blowers, vacuum pumps and compressors.

A certification ceremony was held on February 3 at the facility. Sandy Wiggins, Past Chair of USGBC and Founding Chair of both Delaware Valley Green Building Council (the regional chapter of USGBC) and the Green Building Certification Institute (responsible for accreditation of LEED professionals around the globe) will present the LEED Plaque and Certificate.

 

Wiggins states that, “This building is a remarkable example of high performance green design and a model for the entire manufacturing sector. Its elegant integration of passive and active technologies, local materials, and beautiful architecture puts Pennsylvania once again squarely in the vanguard of green building and Aerzen in a position of national leadership.”

 

Aerzen USA President Pierre Noack remarks that, “We started our project determined to follow our company values without compromise. We did this by taking a threefold approach that accounts for the company, the individual and the community. The green building movement has called this “triple bottom line” for people, planet, and profits. Of course, this would not have been possible without the work and dedication of the professionals who participated. Through this endeavor, we broke new grounds in multiple ways and I hope that our efforts will make it easier for other organizations to follow in the near future.”

 

Aerzen USA’s new headquarters is one of the first manufacturing facilities in the country to obtain a LEED Gold status. The project accumulated 43 LEED points for Gold Certification. Operating data is proving that Aerzen USA’s new headquarters uses 52 percent less energy and 50 percent less water than conventional facilities of the same size and use.

 

Aerzen’s facility incorporates systems and materials that provide environmental benefits, a higher-quality work environment, and lower operating expenses. Examples include:

 

-- Earth Tubes, which use the natural temperature gradient deep underground to provide passive, free cooling of the manufacturing space;

 

-- Ground coupled geothermal exchange to heat and cool the office;

 

-- Pennsylvania’s first commercial use of Straw Bale Construction providing an R-value of 48;

 

-- Operable windows, natural day lighting, advanced lighting and natural ventilation controls throughout the office and manufacturing spaces to regulate optimum air quality and lighting;

 

-- Wide-spanned production and storage areas to support Lean Manufacturing; and

 

-- Permeable paving, infiltration beds, rain gardens and native landscaping to manage 100 percent of storm water on site and recharge the local aquifer.

 

Aerzen USA’s 40,000 square foot building, a mix of office and manufacturing space, was designed by Re:Vision Architecture of Philadelphia. The one-story structure is the USA headquarters for Germany’s Aerzener Maschinenfabrik. Aerzen USA was established in 1983 and has resided in Coatesville, Pennsylvania since 1995.

 

For more information, visit the Aerzen USA website.