Dow Building Solutions is proud to announce that the Dow Business Services Center Building was selected as a Merit Award recipient in the 2012 BUILDINGS ABBY (America’s Best Buildings of the Year) Awards Program.
The three-building, 205,000-sf campus was designed to consume 20% less energy than required by current building codes. This completed facility located in Midland, Mich., was constructed using insulation and air sealing solutions from Dow to help successfully integrate sustainability with aesthetics. It is on target to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification.
A variety of high-performing building products from Dow Building Solutions were used to maximize air, moisture and energy management within the building envelope of the facility:
• THERMAX Wall System, featuring continuous insulation, flashing, and an air barrier, was installed on the exterior walls to streamline construction and allow Dow to downsize HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) equipment and thus reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions;
• The building’s energy-efficient “cool roof” reflects solar heat and protects the underlying insulation and roof structure. STYROFOAM™ Brand Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Foam Insulation was installed under the white roof, the slab, and around the foundation to provide long-term R-value and enhance overall building energy efficiency.
• Roof and wall junctures, the roof perimeter, and other air infiltration points were sealed with FROTH-PAK Foam Insulation and GREAT STUFF PRO Insulating Foam Sealant, to provide a moisture-resistant seal and help reduce air leakage.
As for the design of the facility, the interior incorporates as much daylight as possible. Horizontal sun shades block sunlight when needed and self-tinting windows eliminate glare. Roughly 99% of workspaces are in an open office design, allowing daylight to penetrate. Interiors also feature low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, finishes, adhesives, and wood products, with all carpets meeting the CRI (Carpet and Rug Institute) Green Label Plus standard. Individual temperature controls signify Dow’s attention to personal comfort, as do CO2 sensors that run the ventilation system as needed.
Outside, the parking area includes 26 spaces that meet accessibility standards, 67 spots reserved for fuel-efficient vehicles, and six Level II charging stations, along with infrastructure for 20 more electric cars. Sand obtained from digging out the retention pond was reused to raise building foundations and large areas of naturally landscaped green space and a live pond provide natural habitat for wildlife. +
Related Stories
| Oct 12, 2010
Guardian Building, Detroit, Mich.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. The relocation and consolidation of hundreds of employees from seven departments of Wayne County, Mich., into the historic Guardian Building in downtown Detroit is a refreshing tale of smart government planning and clever financial management that will benefit taxpayers in the economically distressed region for years to come.
| Oct 12, 2010
Richmond CenterStage, Richmond, Va.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Bronze Award. The Richmond CenterStage opened in 1928 in the Virginia capital as a grand movie palace named Loew’s Theatre. It was reinvented in 1983 as a performing arts center known as Carpenter Theatre and hobbled along until 2004, when the crumbling venue was mercifully shuttered.
| Oct 12, 2010
University of Toledo, Memorial Field House
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Memorial Field House, once the lovely Collegiate Gothic (ca. 1933) centerpiece (along with neighboring University Hall) of the University of Toledo campus, took its share of abuse after a new athletic arena made it redundant, in 1976. The ultimate insult occurred when the ROTC used it as a paintball venue.
| Oct 12, 2010
Owen Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Officials at Michigan State University’s East Lansing Campus were concerned that Owen Hall, a mid-20th-century residence facility, was no longer attracting much interest from its target audience, graduate and international students.
| Oct 12, 2010
Gartner Auditorium, Cleveland Museum of Art
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Gartner Auditorium was originally designed by Marcel Breuer and completed, in 1971, as part of his Education Wing at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Despite that lofty provenance, the Gartner was never a perfect music venue.
| Oct 12, 2010
Cell and Genome Sciences Building, Farmington, Conn.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Administrators at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington didn’t think much of the 1970s building they planned to turn into the school’s Cell and Genome Sciences Building. It’s not that the former toxicology research facility was in such terrible shape, but the 117,800-sf structure had almost no windows and its interior was dark and chopped up.
| Oct 12, 2010
The Watch Factory, Waltham, Mass.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards — Gold Award. When the Boston Watch Company opened its factory in 1854 on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham, Mass., the area was far enough away from the dust, dirt, and grime of Boston to safely assemble delicate watch parts.
| Oct 12, 2010
Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, Cleveland, Ohio
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. The Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was dedicated on the Fourth of July, 1894, to honor the memory of the more than 9,000 Cuyahoga County veterans of the Civil War.
| Oct 12, 2010
Building 13 Naval Station, Great Lakes, Ill.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. Designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt and constructed in 1903, Building 13 is one of 39 structures within the Great Lakes Historic District at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill.
| Oct 12, 2010
Full Steam Ahead for Sustainable Power Plant
An innovative restoration turns a historic but inoperable coal-burning steam plant into a modern, energy-efficient marvel at Duke University.
