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Fxfowle Vies for LEED Platinum with Expansion

Temperature will be regulated by geothermal wells and an ice storage plant.

Mairi Beautyman -- Interior Design, 6/14/2007 12:00:00 AM

Fxfowle Architects is hoping to land LEED Platinum, the highest sustainable certification awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), for an expansion project outside Philadelphia. The 425,000-square-foot two-building complex, located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, will provide additional office, meeting, conference, and amenity space for business software developer SAP Americas’ corporate headquarters.

The two buildings are connected by a glass-enclosed atrium which doubles as the employee dining area and meeting venue. The site’s natural surroundings are integral to the design. Instead of cutting down a large grove of chestnut trees, the Fxfowle team curved the buildings around them. Inside, an open office plan takes advantage of landscape views.

Among the green features are geothermal wells for heating and cooling, an ice storage plant for cooling and producing ice, green roofs, rainwater collection, an underfloor air distribution system, and daylight sensors for lighting systems.

Fxfowle landed the project after beating out the contenders in a design competition. The first building, Phase I, is scheduled for completion in 2009. Phase II will follow at a later date.

"SAP acknowledges that the nation is facing a critical energy crisis and the onus is on corporate America to step up to the plate," says LuAnn McHugh, vice president, real estate facilities, SAP Americas. "With the construction of our new building, we are able to take the lead in making a positive contribution to the environment while providing an innovative, state-of-the-art facility for our workforce.