Original article from Dearborn Patch by Beth Dalbey can be found from The Dearborn Patch here
DEARBORN, MI – Dearborn’s new John D. Dingell Transit Center earned a prestigious Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in recognition of its environmentally friendly building components.
A presentation took place on Tuesday, Jan. 5.
The Silver Certification was awarded under LEED — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — guidelines. LEED certification is the recognized standard for measuring a building’s sustainability.
The city of Dearborn owns the transit center, and Amtrak operates the station. It was built entirely with $28.2 million in federal funds and opened in December 2014.
Among the elements qualifying the 16,000-square-foot building for Silver Certification is a metal roof, energy-efficient lighting, geothermal heating and cooling, and storm water management features. It sits on seven acres at 21201 Michigan Ave. The parking lot includes charging stations for electrical vehicles.
Neumann/Smith Architecture designed the station, along with consultant design firms of SmithGroupJJR, Quandel Consultants, KMI, Penhale & Yates, DiClemente Siegel Design and Somat Engineering. Tooles/Clark constructed the center.
Representatives from the design firms as well as from the City of Dearborn took part in Tuesday’s certification presentation. Making the presentation to the City was Kevin McNeely, president of the Detroit Regional Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Mayor John B. O’Reilly, who was unable to attend the ceremony, said in a statement that the Silver Certification reflects the city’s commitment to sustainability.
“We’re proud that we designed the Dingell Transit Center to meet demanding LEED standards, in keeping with our other ‘green’ initiative,” O’Reilly said. “It is especially appropriate for the train station, since rail travel, like all mass transit, promotes more efficient use of energy and resources.”
City officials were notified in November that the transit center was approved for Silver LEED certification.
The Silver Certification comes on top of other honors bestowed on the building in 2015. It earned an Honorable Mention from UM/ULI Real Estate Forum under its 2015 Development/Redevelopment Award. Also, the Construction Association of Michigan named the transit center as one of the state’s 12 most important projects of the year.
