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Haworth Piles on the Gold

Pune, a major industrial city of 4.5 million people located 100 miles southwest of Mumbai, is known as "the Detroit of India."

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 2/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

The certifications keep streaming in for Haworth, the Holland, Michigan-based furniture and office-systems manufacturer, which has now claimed LEED Gold environmental certification for its new showroom in Pune, India.

Pune, a major industrial city of 4.5 million people located 100 miles southwest of Mumbai, is known as "the Detroit of India" for its growing automotive industry and numerous software and IT companies.

The Gold certification is the second highest environmental achievement bestowed by the U.S. Green Building Council. It's the second Haworth building in India to receive LEED-CI (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Commercial Interiors).

The 7,880-square-foot facility earned high marks in key LEED environmental categories including water efficiency, sustainable sites, and innovation and design. The building reduced potable water use by more than 40 percent from a calculated baseline design, a major consideration because of Pune's dry climate. It was built using India-based architects, designers and building contractors who sourced regionally-produced materials, with 95 percent of construction waste diverted from landfills.

While the facility includes a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing plant that was not registered for LEED certification, its design and construction still reflects green building principals, such as capitalizing on natural light through extensive skylights. The entire facility utilizes green power through the purchase of renewable energy credits. The company also provides a bus system that transports 66 percent of its employees to and from work as well bike racks and changing rooms for those who cycle to work.

"Our Pune showroom LEED certification confirms that our commitment to sustainability is universal yet tailored to each specific site," says Franco Bianchi, Haworth's president and CEO. "It is important for us to serve our customers effectively in this part of the world, yet we need to do so with as light an environmental footprint as possible."

Haworth is committed to building to LEED standards at Gold or higher for its showrooms and offices, and Silver and above for its production facilities in the U.S. The manufacturer is currently completing a 300,000-square-foot renovation of its Michigan headquarters that's designed to meet LEED Gold requirements for new contruction. Haworth showrooms in Chicago and Los Angeles are LEED-CI Gold certified while its showrooms in Dallas, Washington, D.C., New York and Toronto are LEED-CI registered.