Swaner EcoCenter

The Swaner EcoCenter is designed to achieve the coveted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification, the highest standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED rating system is the nationally accepted benchmark for teh design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED promotes fi... ve key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials selections and indoor environmental quality. At Swaner, we recognized that LEED categories reflect the primary elements of a healthy ecosystem - water, sunlight, earth and air. The EcoCenter's design and construction embody these elements to create a building that functions as a single, healthy ecosystem. Low-flow and waterless plumbing fixtures, drought-tolerant landscaping and a year-round rooftop water collection and storage system contribute to a 90 percent water savings. Smart lighting and highly efficient cooling, insulation and glass reduce our energy needs by 54 percent. Solar collection panels on the roof capture the sun's energy to heat water, provide radiant heat, melt snow and generate electricity onsite. More than 75 percent of the building materials are reclaimed, recycled or rapidly renewable resources. The EcoCenter contains no formaldehyde or refrigerants and avoids harmful fumes and chemicals to create unparalleled indoor air quality. At Swaner EcoCenter, even the building breathes. How did the EcoCenter's sustainable design affect the environment? Consider the following statistics: 510 trees were diverted from being cut down by the use of bamboo flooring, bamboo cabinetry, sorghum board and cementitious siding throughout the EcoCenter. 77.7% of construction waste was diverted from landfills through recycling and reuse. 24.6% of the cost of materials used in the EcoCenter came from recycled content. 85% of denim insulation came from factory scraps and thus was diverted from landfills. 11% of structural steel was derived ...Read More