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Our Green Building

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Our Green Building

We use our green building as a test bed for the development of energy-efficient, non-toxic materials and systems, such as a low-power wireless building monitoring system that will be able to sense HVAC air flow, temperature, light intensity, detect smoke and gauge power consumption. By commercializing such high-performance computing measurement systems, our goal is to help other companies achieve greener buildings by reducing energy consumption and operational costs in their properties, too.

Our state-of-the-art facility includes a solar wall that gathers and provides continuous information on temperature, light and heat, and room lighting is turned on or off based on information from light sensors. Our outdoor spaces are also used for testing such technologies as piezoelectric wind energy harvesting structures or other renewable energy technologies.

Throughout our green building is signage that educates about the sustainable features that are incorporated into our building and site such as:

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT BASIN — The stormwater basin on-site was constructed to collect the rainwater coming off the site to prevent erosion. The water will be filtered naturally before it is deposited into the aquifer.

GLAZING — All the windows in this building use low-e glass. This makes the building envelope more efficient because the coating on the glass tends to keep radiant heat on the same side of the glass from which it originated, while letting visible light pass. So in the winter the glass keeps heat in, and in the summer the glass keeps heat out.

DIGITAL PHOTOCELLS — Illumination in the laboratory is controlled by digital photocells. The digital photocells measure how much daylight is coming into the laboratories. Using the data from the photocell, the lighting control system can adjust the amount of light coming from light fixtures to reduce energy consumption.

OCCUPANCY SENSORS — Occupancy sensors are used to detect motion in the room. When no motion is detected for a period of time, the light fixtures are automatically shut off. They come back on when someone reenters the room.

FINISHES — Finishes were selected for low-VOC content. To provide a safer work environment, low-VOC adhesives, paints, sealants, and coatings were used. These products had specific low toxicity emissions to better improve indoor air quality.

SOLARWALL — The solarwall uses the sun’s energy to heat air. In the winter the warm air comes into the building. This reduces the building’s dependence on its mechanical systems to condition fresh air. During the summer, the air between the solarwall and the building acts as a buffer. The air is heated by the sun and then vented to the outside. The heated air protects the building skin from additional heat, which reduces the building’s air conditioning load.

MECHANICAL SYSTEMS — The mechanical equipment is Energy Star rated, meaning that it is very energy-efficient. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that helps us save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. These systems help provide approximately 14 percent energy savings when compared to a similar building.

PLUMBING FIXTURES — The plumbing fixtures are low-flow fixtures. Low-flow means that they use less water and conserve our natural resources. The use of the low-flow fixtures provides more than 30 percent building water use savings without compromising performance.

PRE-ENGINEERED METAL SHELL — This building was constructed using a pre-engineered metal structure. Use of a pre-engineered metal structure reduced waste generated by the building’s construction because the quantity of materials needed was calculated before the parts were built. Then, only the necessary components were sent to the site for construction. Sixty percent of the shell structure is composed of recycled steel.

NATIVE VEGETATION — Native vegetation - which is adapted to the region and therefore requires little to no irrigation - was planted on the site to eliminate the need for an irrigation system, which reduces water consumption. We also salvaged plants from a demolition site and planted them around our building.

REGIONAL MATERIALS — More than 11 percent of the materials used during construction of this building were extracted, manufactured, and distributed within 500 miles of the site, reducing fuel consumption and emissions resulting from the transport of materials.

RECYCLED MATERIALS — More than 25 percent of the materials used to construct this building are made from recycled materials, helping to conserve our natural resources.

NanoSonic's LEED Green Building

NanoSonic's Green Offices (303 kb)
This three-page document describes NanoSonic's LEED-certified green building and facilities.