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Federal Sustainable Building Case Studies

Photo depicting a brown and gray laboratory in front of a sprawling mesa.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's 71,000-sq. ft., $22.7-million, state-of-the-art Science & Technology Facility (S&TF) in Golden, CO, is the first Federal laboratory building to receive a Platinum rating, the highest in the LEED Green Building rating system.

The case studies featured below include sustainable design examples from Federal agencies and industry. Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

High Performance Federal Buildings Database

The High Performance Federal Buildings database presents a sampling of sustainable buildings projects in the Federal Government. This database taps into the existing Department of Energy (DOE) High Performance Buildings database, showcasing only Federal examples. Use this database to review details about projects such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Research Triangle Park Campus or the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) Research Station.

Federal LEED® Certified Buildings

As of March 6, 2008, 141 Federal buildings have been certified under the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Rating System. Eighteen agencies are represented in 3 countries and 35 states across the U.S. with a variety of new construction, major renovation, existing building, and commercial interior projects. The certified Federal building projects are provided in a summary list (PDF 86 KB). A map detailing Federal LEED buildings by state is also available (JPG 66 KB).

Federal ENERGY STAR® Labeled Buildings

As of March 12, 2008, 175 Federal buildings have been labeled with ENERGY STAR. Ten agencies are represented in 41 states across the country with general office, courthouse, hospital, and medical office building types. The ENERGY STAR labeled Federal building projects are provided in a list (Excel 170 KB) and can also be accessed on the ENERGY STAR website.

Federal Showcase Facilities

The following case studies describe the features of several new buildings designed with sustainable principles.

  • NREL Science and Technology Facility in Golden, CO (PDF 885 KB)
  • Nathanial R. Jones Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in Youngstown, OH (PDF 713 KB)
  • Zion National Park Visitor Center in Springdale, UT (PDF 713 KB)
  • Naval Base Ventura County - Building 850 in Port Hueneme, CA (PDF 713 KB)
  • Environmental Protection Agency Campus in Research Triangle Park, NC (PDF 713 KB)

Greening Reports

FEMP served as lead agency in several Federal "greening" initiatives. These initiatives involve increasing energy efficiency, protecting the environment, and encouraging the green associated with saving taxpayer dollars. Visit the following status reports of FEMP-assisted greening projects: