Oak Park Considers a LEED® Standard for PUD’s: Green Hills of Oak Park
South Blvd. & Lombard Ave.
Location
South Boulevard at Lombard Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302, map
Architect
Construction Manager
Mortenson Construction
By Steve Beck
In December 2005, the Village of Oak Park began construction on what will be the first LEED certified public works facility in the state of Illinois.
Completed in September of 2007, the $26 million facility maintains an array of environmentally friendly features and systems, and is presently in the process of acquiring LEED Gold Certified rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Green materials of the building include low-emission paints, adhesives, coatings, sealants and carpeting, while energy features include taking advantage of large windows for passive solar heat and installing an ultra-efficient HVAC system. What is more, the top of the building will be outfitted with a green roof.
Even before the green features went in, a sustainable clean-up of the previous building, which was lost to fire, was underway. Instead of shipping the waste to a landfill, approximately 85 percent of the site’s waste was diverted to recycling facilities.
A tour of the 150,000 square foot facility, which reveals signage describing the building’s green features, is an overture of sorts to a more comprehensive plan of sustainable practices adopted by the village. Village Planner Craig Failor states that, “The Village of Oak Park is committed to becoming the most sustainable community of its size.”
The village’s commitment has some teeth. At present, three properties the Village has sold or is co-developing are planned to be LEED—Silver certified or better, which would bring to market a mix of LEED certified apartments, townhomes and office/commercial space. Furthermore, the village has a pending amendment to its zoning ordinance that will, if approved, require any project seeking PUD (planned unit development) approval to incorporate LEED standards. Even the village staff has turned a shade greener as the position of Sustainability Coordinator was recently created that will be responsible for “leading efforts to foster an environmentally sustainable Village and educate residents and Village employees regarding environmentally sustainable lifestyles”.
For further information on the new public works facility, contact the Village of Oak Park Public Works Department at publicworks@oak-park.us.
Tags: Energy Efficient, green roof, hvac, LEED®, low-emission materials, Low-emission paints, passive solar, Planned unit development, Public, PUD, sustainable clean-up, USGBC
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