Charlottesville, Va.'s newest public facility collects 50,000 gallons of rain to flush toilets and wash buses. Photo: City of Charlottesville
The four buildings that comprise Charlottesville Area Transit's new 6-acre operations and maintenance campus are expected to receive LEED Gold certification next year, thanks to features such as:
Using bio-retention and underground percolation to store and treat storm-waterGeothermal heating and coolingExtensive daylighting with solar glare controlTime-regulated energy consumptionHigh use of recycled content and materialsCompleted in May, the Virginian campus reflects years of planning and coordination between the City of Charlottesville, which owns the campus; the Federal Transit Administration; and the Virginia Department of Rail and Urban Transportation. A federal grant covered 62% of the $15.6 million price tag and the state picked up 29%, leaving 8% for the city to pay.
“It represents the cutting edge of environmentally and economically sound design and construction, especially for an industrial development,” says Charlottesville Director of Public Works Judith Mueller.