Tremco Inc. headquarters achieves LEED Gold certification

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded Tremco Inc. LEED Gold certification for the reconstruction of the company's 40-year-old headquarters.

Changes were so extensive that the certification is for new construction and not for renovation; officially, the building is LEED-NC. The building received 72 points from the USGBC, far surpassing the minimum number required for LEED Gold.

“We are extremely proud to have achieved LEED Gold status,” said Tremco President Randy Korach. “We felt that to lead by example in the construction industry, it was our responsibility to convert our headquarters into a high-performance, energy efficient building that required less water, embraced renewable energy sources and reduced operating costs substantially from prior levels. We accomplished all of this in an expedited construction process that took only about six months.”

Many of the sustainable features included in the renovation that were responsible for LEED Gold points came from organizations that are part of RPM International Inc., Tremco’s parent company. These included:

Four types of sustainable roofing systems from Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance – a vegetated roof; photovoltaic array; white, reflective built-up roof; and white reflective membrane.
A Dryvit Systems Outsulation Plus MD exterior wall system that provided an energy efficient, insulated façade.
Sealants, gaskets, and Proglaze ETA (Engineered Transition Assembly) from Tremco Commercial Sealants & Waterproofing to ensure an airtight transition from walls to the new high-performance, double-pane, tinted windows.
New sidewalks, with decorative concrete from Increte Systems, part of The Euclid Chemical Company.

Additional features included:

A wind turbine and, on the new carport, an additional photovoltaic array to help generate electricity; the carport is also meant to encourage the use of electric vehicles.
A 15,000 gallon water capture and reuse system in the parking lot to reduce the amount of water entering the city’s sewers; captured water will be used to irrigate the building’s landscaping and vegetated roof.
Numerous interior upgrades such as an ADA-compliant elevator and restrooms.
Mechanical/electrical/plumbing upgrades including a high efficiency HVAC system and new plumbing fixtures that save potable water.

Throughout the entire renovation, Tremco sent nothing to a landfill. The company recycled, reused or burned for energy more than two million pounds of construction debris.

“The renovation of our 46,000-square-foot headquarters, which was outdated, uncomfortable and wasted energy, set the foundation for our vision of Global Sustainable Growth,” added Korach. “Achieving LEED Gold certification is not only an honor, but it is also a testament to our commitment to this vision, which focuses on the impact each business decision has on people, planet and prosperity.” BD+C

We offer the following recommendations in the hope that they will help step up the pace of high-performance building reconstruction in the U.S. and Canada. We consulted many experts for advice, but these recommendations are solely the responsibility of the editors of Building Design+Construction. We welcome your comments. Please send them to Robert Cassidy, Editorial Director: rcassidy@sgcmail.com.