The Navy League Starts a "Green" Trend

By VERONICA BRANDON
NLUS Director of Development

The Navy League is moving at flank speed into its second century of service with the construction of a seven-story Class-A office building that will bolster the organization's economic development and enhance the local environment and quality of life.

On-site demolition for the new building began in late March and construction is scheduled for completion in Fall 2004. When the building is completed it will receive a Silver rating in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Building Council ­ referred to as a "green" building.

Located on a prime site in Arlington, Va., the building will comprise 214,000 square feet, to include ample lease space for shops, restaurants, and offices. In addition, about 10 percent of the building will house the Navy League headquarters. The new building, "will help generate a steady stream of future revenue that can be used to support Navy League programs for many years to come," said Navy League President Timothy O. Fanning. In addition, the building will help conserve local resources such as water and energy.

The Navy League decided upon a green building--specially constructed to be environmentally sound and conserve resources--because traditional approaches to planning and development "are creating, rather than solving, societal and environmental problems," Fanning said. Therefore, "we are constructing a new 'green building' that offers real, lasting solutions to environmental problems and will strengthen our future," he said.

In addition to conservation of resources, green buildings are designed to minimize waste, foster a healthy and comfortable environment for occupants, and restrain maintenance and operations costs.

Building green "indicates the company or organization behind the project is well-run, responsible, and committed to the future." Fanning said.

The building also meets Smart Growth principles, a series of guidelines devised by the City/County Management Association to make urban communities more livable. Especially applicable to high-density neighborhoods and buildings, the guidelines cover location, building density, design, transportation, accessibility, and the environment. The Navy League building is also "transit-friendly," located less than one block from the Arlington Courthouse Metro station and on multiple bus routes. The building will facilitate other transportation alternatives by providing bicycle storage and changing rooms for the building's occupants, charging stations for electric automobiles within the four-tier underground parking deck, and preferred parking for car pools and van pools.

The building has a very advanced water efficiency system designed to minimize the amount of potable water consumed by the project while reducing the amount of storm water runoff from the site. A storm water detainment system will catch rainwater and store it in a large vault at the basement level so that it can be used for the irrigation of trees and shrubs on the property as well as for flushing the building's toilets. High-efficiency plumping fixtures such as low-flow faucets, dual-flush toilets, and waterless urinals will cut water use by over 30 percent, relative to consumption in conventional office buildings. The building and occupants will reduce substantially the load of wastewater to the nearby Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant. This kind of efficiency, Fanning said, "is crucial to absorbing the extra density in the building population allowed by Smart Growth while still reducing pollution loads to the Potomac River."

The building's HVAC systems will increase heating and cooling efficiency, thereby reducing operating costs and air pollution. Additionally, the heating, cooling and refrigeration systems will not use any ozone depleting CFCs or HCFCs. An Energy-Star Rating roofing system will decrease temperatures at the roof level. Exterior lighting is designed to minimize light pollution and assist national dark sky initiatives. Overall building energy use will be approximately 20 percent less than that of conventional office buildings.

The project capitalizes on the use of smart building materials such as low-emission adhesives, paints, and carpets along with exhaust systems designed to remove airborne particulate matter will improve indoor air quality.

To follow the progress of the development project, go to www.navyleague.org and click on "more info" about the building.

For additional information about the new NLUS headquarters building and/or naming opportunities, contact: Veronica Brandon, Director of Development, Navy league Headquarters, 2300 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va. 22201-3308; phone 703-528-1775; fax 703-528-2333. *