LEED-ing the way... Pure Air Control Services Building Sciences Division

Washington, DC --The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program has been around for 10 years, and has become a "brand" among builders, developers and the general public. The international program has been developed and is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).  LEED certifications (certified, silver, gold, and platinum) are available for commercial and residential buildings, building retrofits, and the USGBC is developing a LEED certification for neighborhoods.  The focus of LEED is to mark buildings (and now neighborhoods) that are sustainable, healthy, and energy efficient. The program is now a requirement for many new municipal buildings designed is built to LEED standards.

Chevron Corp. recently declared the opening of the company's first LEED certified building and the first gold certified LEED building in the state of Louisiana.

According to USGBC, LEED certification “provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest green building and performance measures.”  When MAPP/Clayco Construction sought an IAQ firm to provide the crucial evaluation for Chevron, Pure Air Control Services an interdisciplinary environmental consulting firm with offices across the nation and a stellar reputation—was the obvious choice.

Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit (GOMBU) Northpark headquarters encompasses 300,000 square feet of state-of-the-art technology, designed to consume almost a quarter less energy than similar sized-buildings. Despite the building’s size, Chevron officials requested a 48-hour timeline for the first of Pure Air Control Services four site visits, as well as a three-day turnaround on the firm’s evaluation report—challenges that, says Pure Air Vice Control Services President Ed Ziegler, were overcome with “…teamwork and great attention to detail.”

“Though the project presented many challenges, we were able to exceed our valued client’s expectations,” Ziegler adds.

According to William Radu, CIAQP, Industrial Hygienist, “logistically, this was one of the most challenging though fun projects of the year.”  Mr Radu stated that “It was a pleasure working with the great folks at both Chevron and MAPP/Clayco helping them accomplish the state of Louisiana and Chevron’s first LEED Gold Certified Building.”

Green strategies incorporated into the Chevron building include under-floor air distribution, which reduces indoor pollutants and enables an individual to control the air supply; monitoring and adjustment of carbon dioxide levels and introduction of “fresh air” to all areas as needed; and reflective roofing, energy-efficient glass, and wall and roof insulation designed to achieve optimal energy performance.

"Northpark is LEED-ing the way for Chevron as the company's first commercial LEED registered building, and we are proud that it is certified gold," said Melody B. Meyer, vice president, GOMBU, according to Scandinavian Oil-Gas Magazine.

Pure Air Control Services, Inc., working with MAPP/CLAYCO Construction, performed the Indoor Air Quality Monitoring portion (e.g. CO, CO2, Mold, Bacteria, VOC’s, Formaldehyde, Temperature/Relative Humidity, Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone, Particulate) of the LEEDs testing required to qualify for the designation as a GREEN BUILDING. The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Monitoring is intended to establish the building baseline indoor air quality and the construction’s impact on the baseline indoor air quality. As a result of the fine construction work performed by MAPP/Clayco Chevron Norpark is now a certified GOLD LEED Building, the first in Louisiana.

For information on LEED certification call Ed Ziegler, VP Business Development at 1-800-422-7873 ext 804.

About Pure Air Control Services, Inc.

Alan Wozniak founded Pure Air Control Services, Inc. in 1984 as a small mechanical contracting firm. Today, the IAQ work distributed from its offices in Tampa, Atlanta, West Palm Beach, Houston and Washington D.C. sets the industry standard for indoor environmental quality diagnosis and remediation. Pure Air has serviced more than 500 million square feet of indoor environments in over 10,000 facilities.

Pure Air Control Services nationally performed services include: Building Sciences Evaluation; LEED Building Assessments, Building Health Check; an AIHA accredited Environmental Microbiology Laboratory; Environmental Project Management; Duct Cleaning and Mold Remediation Services, among other indoor environmental services.

The company’s expanding client roster includes the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), General Services Administration (GSA); Allstate Insurance; Carrier Air Conditioning; Naval Air Warfare Center, Orlando; NAVFAC, CB Richard Ellis; Naval Air Station - King's Bay, Georgia; Ft Detrick, MD; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Fortune 500 companies, school boards, and city, state, and county governments, making Pure Air Control Services a reliable IAQ industry leader.

For more information on Pure Air Services, Inc. and/or its collaboration with Chevron’s GOMBU headquarters, please contact Alan Wozniak, president and CEO, at (800) 422-7873 x802, or visit www.pureaircontrols.com.