Stevens & Wilkinson’s Atlanta office announced today that its Market City Center project has been awarded a prestigious LEED Silver certification. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.
“It is an honor and a validation of our commitment to sustainability to earn LEED Silver for Market City Center,” said Laura Morton, AIA, project architect at Stevens & Wilkinson. “This project was a collaborative effort, achieved by having a vision of promoting energy efficiency on a local level and putting in place innovative policies and practices to achieve it.”
Considered one of the most important developments in Chattanooga by community leaders, the 10-story, $30-million Market City Center – the tallest building constructed in the heart of downtown Chattanooga since the 1970s – includes 21,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space, 21,000 square feet of office space, parking and 125 one and two-bedroom apartment units.Construction of Market City Center began in January 2016 and ended with a grand opening event at the end of September 2017. The Simpson Organization was the developer on the project and has worked with Stevens & Wilkinson on other projects in the past, including the Cigar Factory in Charleston, South Carolina, High-Rise Concepts at 17th and Peachtree in Atlanta and the TSO Office expansion and renovation also in Atlanta.
Market City Center achieved LEED certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
LEED is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. More than 92,200 commercial and institutional projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising more than 19.3 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and more than 160 countries and territories.
“Achieving LEED certification is more than implementing sustainable practices. It represents a commitment to making the world a better place and influencing others to do better,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. "Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role of the building industry in that effort, Stevens & Wilkinson demonstrates their leadership through their LEED certification of Market City Center.”
