Green Building Features

Fellow tenants in the green building at 14 Maple Avenue share our passion for being environmentally responsible. The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, in particular, is responsible for the vision that made the building’s existence possible. David Grant, the President and CEO of the Dodge Foundation, noted, “…the idea of moving to a green office space in a downtown area grew out of a desire to live our values as carefully as we fund them. …While the green features of 14 Maple Avenue are not yet common in buildings…they have all been tested and proven effective elsewhere. The Biowall, however, marks a relatively new frontier in green building design that will be immediately thought provoking for people… Here, in a living wall, is a connection between human health and the natural world, an illustration of the beauty and efficiency of natural design, and a core principle of sustainability: We will tend to the plants, and they will tend to us.”

Some of the green design features that were integrated into the construction of 14 Maple Avenue include:

• The largest Biowall (living wall) in the U.S.: A three-story Biowall is located between the top two floors and the roof entrance to the building. This living wall, located in the center of the Dodge Foundation’s office, is a vertical garden of plants in porous materials attached to a concrete wall. The wall is connected to the building’s HVAC system and fans pull air through the wall into offices throughout the building. This process allows the plants’ roots to act as a natural air filter which remove volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide from the air as it passes through the wall into the building’s office space. As such, it provides clean air and a healthier indoor work environment.
  
• High-performance envelope: 14 Maple Avenue has been built within a high-performance envelope, which means it successfully integrates a number of energy-efficient features into the shell of the building. Beyond increasing energy efficiency, some of these design elements also help sustain health. For example, the windows are designed to allow access to more natural light and the outer walls, HVAC system, and geothermal wells help regulate the amount of moisture, dust, allergens, noise, insects, and pollutants that get into the office environment.
  
• Vegetative roof: A green roof system, covered with vegetation, waterproofing membrane, and a drainage system also helps reduce air pollution, conserve energy, absorb and reflect ultraviolet radiation from the sun, and protect against extreme temperature fluctuations. In addition, the vegetative roof provides aesthetic and wildlife habitat benefits.
  

For a complete description of these and other green building features at 14 Maple Avenue, including the geothermal wells, solar panels, and green building materials, please visit the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Web site at http://www.grdodge.org/green/greenbuilding/index2.htm.