USGBC Maryland Celebrates Local Green Building Leaders at Annual Wintergreen Awards Ceremony

On March 7, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Maryland community announced its 2019 Leadership Awards recipients at the annual Wintergreen networking and awards event. And Lorax had a banner night, winning a total of 6 Wintergreen Awards!

More than 130 green building advocates from across Maryland came together to celebrate this year’s 10 recipients who were recognized for excellence in high performance building design, environmental stewardship and community impact. The 2019 Maryland recipients include the Baltimore Ravens Under Armour Performance Center Addition; Merriweather District Area 3; the Howard County Library System (HCLS) Elkridge Branch + DIY Education Center and Elkridge 50+ Center; University of Maryland Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center; Lyndhurst Elementary School Expansion and Renovation; M&T Bank Stadium and Annapolis Water Treatment Plant. Leadership awards were given to Seawall Development, Kate Fink and Valerie Oliver. The Under Armour Performance Center Addition was selected as the People’s Choice award recipient by attendees at the event.

“Every year at Wintergreen, we look forward to seeing the new projects and local leaders that are paving the way toward greater sustainability in our state through green buildings,” said Cindy Zork, director of USGBC Maryland. “These efforts make Maryland communities safer, healthier and more sustainable, and Wintergreen gives us the opportunity to celebrate
our collective successes while recognizing individual leadership and contributions.”

The Leadership Awards presentation at Wintergreen highlights projects that are transforming the built environment across Maryland. The awards celebrate the building projects that have earned LEED certification in the past year, as well as the leaders that continue to promote green buildings in their communities. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. The award winners with Lorax involvement include:

Ravens Under Armour Performance Center Addition, Innovative Design, New Construction Award: When adding to its state-of-the-art training facility, the Baltimore Ravens used inspiration from its home at M&T Bank Stadium, a LEED Gold building, to target LEED certification. For the new addition to the Under Armour Performance Center, which earned LEED Gold, 79 percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill, 37 percent of the materials selected in construction used recycled content, and 22 percent of materials were produced regionally. In the finished space, water consumption was reduced by more than 45 percent through low flush and flow fixtures.

Merriweather District Area 3, Maryland Environments Award: This LEED for Neighborhood Development project features a mix of 800 dwelling units, 700,000 square feet of office space, a hotel and retail spaces, totaling almost two million square feet. Buildings are connected by one mile of sidewalks, more than 60 percent of which are shaded with native and adaptive species to help reduce urban heat island effect, reduce water runoff and improve local air quality. All individual buildings currently under construction in the development are pursuing LEED certification.

Lyndhurst Elementary School Expansion and Renovation, Green Schools – K-12 Award: This LEED Gold school in Baltimore combined the restoration of the existing 1926 school with a new 90,000 square foot addition. The project team engaged the neighborhood in the design process, with the goal of providing a safe community hub and modern education facility. Recycling of materials and waste management in the renovation of the existing building was a top priority, and stringent indoor air quality measures were established to ensure a healthy learning environment for
students and teachers alike.

M&T Bank Stadium Recertification, Green Building Legacy Award: The home of the Baltimore Ravens, M&T Bank Stadium originally received LEED Gold certification in November 2013, but in December 2017, the project team began pursuing LEED certification for an existing building to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to sustainability. The installation of waterless urinals led to a 43 percent water use reduction and a green cleaning policy has helped improve indoor air quality. The Maryland Stadium Authority also committed to the purchase of Renewable Energy
Credits to offset energy use at the stadium.

Kate Fink and Valerie Oliver, Green Leader, Volunteer of the Year Award: Kate Fink and Valerie Oliver are active members on USGBC Maryland’s Education and Wintergreen Committees, respectively. Their work contributes to the success of USGBC Maryland’s programs year round.

Ravens Under Armour Performance Center Addition was awarded the People’s Choice Award by attendees at Wintergreen.

This year, Wintergreen was held at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, a staple of the Baltimore community, which achieved LEED Gold certification in 2018 as a result of a multi-year effort to upgrade building operations. The ballpark certified under the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating system. Sustainability features include energy-efficient lighting and plumbing fixtures, a comprehensive green cleaning program, a program for recycling cooking oil into biodiesel, a local food bank partnership, as well as electric vehicle charging, bike parking and access to mass transit. LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world, and the state of Maryland is a leader in advancing green building in the country. Every year, USGBC releases a list of the Top 10 States for LEED, ranking each state in the U.S. based on the most square footage of LEED-certified space per capita. Maryland has made the list every year since. In 2018, the state ranked 10th in the country, with 2.92 square feet of LEED-certified space per capita.