Page 143 - Green Building Through Integrated Design
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WHO BENEFITS 119
the distribution of benefits into account and create incentives to overcome gaps in the
marketplace. For example, faster permit processing for speculative development can
have a huge impact on project returns and is generally a strong incentive that costs the
government relatively little.
PLATINUM PROJECT PROFILE
Heifer International, Little Rock, Arkansas
Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. The orga-
nization’s 94,000-square-feet, five-story headquarters building was completed in
February 2006 at a cost of $17.4 million. Heifer expects to reduce energy con-
sumption by 40 percent (compared to a conventional building). Only 62 feet wide,
the orientation and curved shape allow natural light to penetrate the building,
reducing the need for artificial light. Rainwater from the permeable parking lot is
collected in constructed wetlands, which store and purify up to four million gal-
lons of water for later use. A 25,000-gallon water tower captures rainwater from
the roof for use in toilets, the radiant heating system and replenishing the con-
structed wetland. Recycled, renewable, and regional materials were used through-
out the building.*
©Photography by Timothy Hursley.
*Heifer International [online], http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.1484715, accessed April 2008.