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Bala Engineers is LEED-ing the Nation
Bala Consulting Engineers is believed to be the first engineering firm in the nation to be awarded the LEED-CI (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Commercial Interiors) Certification from the US Green Building Council. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED promotes sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Meyer Design, Inc. was selected to assist Bala in designing their new 21,000 square foot space because of our leadership in the area of Sustainable Design. "Our project
mission included the implementation of sustainable strategies such as
water conservation, energy efficiency optimization and indoor air quality
improvement. Bala and Meyer collaborated in creating a sustainably designed,
LEED certified office space that has had a positive impact on our employees
and our business as well as the environment," said Mike Anastasio,
President of Bala Consulting Engineers. "George, Chris and
Roberta from Meyer were a knowledgeable and valuable part of our sustainable
design team. Their attention to detail and experience with building
products, practices and the LEED design criteria for Commercial Interiors
was an integral part of achieving our LEED Certification." The team of HRPT Properties Trust, Bala, Meyer Design and Shields Construction worked closely together to design and build this LEED certified office. Our primary goals were to:
To minimize waste, Meyer repurposed the existing building layout, made minor modifications and adapted the building to Bala Engineers' specific requirements. All materials demolished were evaluated, separated by type and those eligible were sent for recycling. By reusing existing materials wherever possible, construction waste was significantly reduced. 69,170 lbs (or 65%) of construction waste was diverted from landfills!
Other Environmental Elements:
The
finished space is a healthy, environmentally friendly office that incorporates
company identity. Bala's project objectives were achieved within their
tenant improvement allowance and desired budget.
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Project
Team: 
Meyer
selected sustainable materials including paint selections with low VOC
contents, carpet with high recycled content. Office workstations were
refurbished with 100% recycled fabrics to incorporate as many LEED certified
products as possible.
In
addition to creating a "green" office, Meyer established a
space that reflects the company's identity and culture. Bala Engineers'
specialties include HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, electrical, structural,
and voice/data systems. With this in mind, the design team chose to
leave these actual building infrastructure systems exposed and painted
them to be color coded as they would appear on one of Bala Engineers'
drawings.