World's Top Sustainability Score Goes to New Building
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The new Bayer MaterialScience building has earned the best sustainability score yet based on the LEED certification system.
CREDIT: Sankalpan Architects |
Solar power and super-insulation have helped a new "zero-energy" building earn the world's highest ranking in sustainability. The Bayer MaterialScience office building in India received 64 out of 69 possible points and a Platinum ranking based on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.
The building built by Aspirin-maker Bayer creates more electricity than it consumes by using an extensive photovoltaic system to harvest solar energy. It also used polyurethane-based insulation to slash its electricity consumption by 70 percent compared to typical buildings in tropical regions.
Bayer's building also scored the maximum possible points in categories such as water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design.
New green buildings can certainly help reduce human environmental impacts as cities continue to grow. But retrofitting existing buildings may prove even more important — especially given that more than 90 percent of all buildings that will exist in 2035 already stand today. [Empire State Building Innovations Generate Big Energy Savings]
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