Tallest green office building in the US

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More than 2,500 openings equipped with door and hardware products from ASSA ABLOY Group companies are found in the tallest LEED – CS certified green office building in the US, the Comcast Center in Philadelphia.

The building was completed in June 2008 and incorporates a number of features to reduce energy consumption and lessen the building’s environmental footprint. The green design strategies employed by the property developer reduces water usage by 40%, cuts back on heat-island effect by 70% and uses a glass curtain to block 60% of heat while allowing 70% of the sun light, reducing energy used for air conditioning while utilizing natural light to its fullest.

The developer also diverted 77% of construction waste to salvaging and recycling, keeping 20,000 tons of waste out of landfills. In addition, 80% of wood products used in Comcast Center are from forests with Forestry Stewardship Council certification (FSC).

The percentage of recycled content for ASSA ABLOY products used in the building far surpass the minimum levels required by LEED: SARGENT mortise locks, 59%; SARGENT exit devices, 61%; SARGENT door closers, 52%; CURRIES doors and frames, 27%; and a range from 51% to 68% for McKINNEY hinges and flat goods.

In addition to these material qualities, the ASSA ABLOY products greatly exceed industry performance standards for security and life-safety. For increased measures of protection, the facility also utilizes a SARGENT Signature key system and MicroShield antimicrobial hardware finish.

Facts ablout the Comcast Center building:

The 297 meter/975 feet high Comcast Center, located in the center of Philadelphia, USA, is the tallest building in Pennsylvania. Its primary tenant is Comcast, one of the largest cable television, Internet and telephone service companies in the USA.

A small replica statue of William Penn, founder of the state of Pennsylvania, is on the roof. The statue hopes to dispel the myth of a curse on the city should a building be constructed taller than William Penn’s statue.

In the lobby, visitors encounter a father and son gazing up at the glass canopy. A closer inspection shows them to be elements of the sculpture “Humanity in Motion” by world-renowned artist and sculptor Jonathan Borofsky. There are nearly a dozen sculptures of people walking their own paths – across beams suspended three stories high.

The clock gears are actually a groundbreaking high-definition video wall standing 83 feet wide by 25 feet high. It showcases a one-of-a kind intersection of media, technology and public art. The video wall is the largest 4-millimeter LED screen in the world, composed of 6,771 individual Barco NX-4 LED modules.

Read more at the official visitors site.