news-record.com

Honda Aircraft Co.'s Greensboro headquarters is another building in the city that has met national energy efficiency and environmental standards, according to a Wednesday announcement by its parent company, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

The facility has earned gold status under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. The council also has newly certified four other Honda facilities in Oregon, California, Ohio and Colorado. 

The Greensboro 68,000-square-foot facility includes the following features:

• a highly reflective white Energy Star roof that reduces the amount of air conditioning needed to cool the building;

• dual-paned low-e window glass;

• steel wall panels that contains almost 30% recycled content and a sealant with low volatile organic compound content;

• low-flow toilets and urinals, infra-red sensor faucets and the use of native plant species with low water needs;

• the recycling of approximately 97 percent of construction waste, such as concrete, glass, drywall, and steel that typically ends up in a landfill.  

"We have embraced the green building program for many years, since 1999 when we built our first certified building in Gresham, Oregon" said Barbara van Gaasbeek, national administrator of American Honda's green building programs, according to a press release. "Although it takes an increased amount up front to build a green building, the payback is in reduced utility bills, because of reduced water and electricity use. So for the lifetime of a building, say 20 to 50 years, that's a lot of payback."