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New development focuses on sustainability
By Lynn Proctor Windle, Staff Writer
February 15, 2008
When the Palomino Crossing is complete next year, its developers hope this 55-acre, mixed-use development becomes one of the handful of projects in the city officially to be labeled green.
Palomino Crossing, located at the southeast corner of Spring Creek Parkway and State Highway 121 in West Plano will include retail, restaurant and office space.
More importantly, its developers say that the new $150 million project will include many features that they hope will earned it the silver LEEDS status from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
“The goal is to get high has high of a rating as you can. Our goal is to get certified, and we hope to achieve silver,” said Mike Goodall of Sealy & Company, project developers.
The USGBC is a nonprofit organization promotes the development of a sustainable environment within a generation. Its rating system, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), encourages developers to adopt and implement green building practices. Projects are rated on how many green practices they incorporate into the project.
“The industry is moving to green buildings,” said Michael Sealy of Sealy & Company, Inc. “We believe that our clients would much rather have a green facility than conventional. Tenants are becoming become more conscious in offering a health environment for their work force.”
Goodall added, “A green building has cleaner atmosphere, and it’s easier on the environment.”
Dallas architect Corgan Associates, the project’s designers say the project’s most visible green feature will be an enormous multi-level water fountain. The water features will capture and recycle rain and storm water using it as needed for irrigation.
Landscaping will focus on native plants and plants thrive on less water “without trying to sacrifice aesthetics,” Sealy said.
The facility’s open design will incorporate less concrete, said Corgan’s Patricia Pedrero. Less concrete reduces the amount of construction waste.
Architects will focus on design elements that will incorporate recycled materials such aluminums, she said.
Mike Connell also of Corgan noted that design strategies will capitalize on ambient lighting, which will reduce electricity.
“We have fairly large windows on all sides,” he said. “We’re looking to protect the sunny side of the building with awning and overhangs. Insulated glass will bring daylight into the building.”
The roofing low-radiant roofing material will reflect light rather than absorbing it. This in turn reduces the amount of energy the building’s ventilation system uses to keep the building cool during the summer.
Contractors hired for the project “will have the same focus that we have do on the preservation and sustainability of the site,” Goodall said. “It’s a team effort to be aggressive.”
The first phase will include an 180,000 square foot, three-story building, said architect Connell said. When the entire campus is complete in spring 2009, it will include four office buildings and a shopping strip. Work is scheduled to begin later this month.
Contact Lynn Proctor Windle at lwindle@acnpapers.com.
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