Arlington, Virginia - Potomac Yard

These facilities feature the following green attributes:
LEED-NC 2.1 Gold

LEED-EB 2.0 Gold
Green Power
ENERGY STAR

One of EPA's Headquarters Facilities

Total Facility Area: 405,117 rentable square feet
Estimated Personnel: 1,650 EPA personnel
Energy Consumption: 19,419,724,040 Btu per year
Btu per Gross Square Foot per Year: 47,936
Water Consumption: not available

All energy and water data are reported as of FY 2007.

Description

From May to July 2006, EPA employees that had been working in three separate buildings in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia, moved into a newly constructed building nearby that incorporates a number of sustainable features. In May 2004, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) signed 10-year leases for 405,117 rentable square feet of space in two interconnected towers known as Potomac Yard (EPA occupies the South Tower and a portion of the North Tower).

You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

In 2006, the building received the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) version 2.1 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®)Gold-level certification for new construction (NC). View the Potomac Yard One LEED Scorecard (PDF) (1 pg, 40K) and the Potomac Yard Two LEED Scorecard (PDF) (1 pg, 41K). In 2008, as part of EPA's new focus on operations and maintenance improvements at existing buildings, Potomac Yard received LEED Gold-level 2.0 certification for existing buildings (EB).

In addition to the Potomac Yard facilities, EPA Headquarters occupies space in several other buildings in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, including:

Awards

On November 15, 2007, building architect Davis Carter Scott received the 2007 Northern Virginia Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) Award of Excellence: Best Building High Rise, Eight Stories and Above for Potomac Yard One and Two.
In November 2007, DOE presented the Potomac Yard facility with a Federal Energy Saver Showcase Award, which honors facilities that use cost-effective energy efficiency, water conservation, and renewable energy technologies.
In May 2007, EPA's Potomac Yard facility won a 2007 White House Closing the Circle Award for its sustainable design and energy- and water-saving features.
Potomac Yard One and Two were finalists in the commercial design category of Environmental Design + Construction magazine's Excellence in Design Awards.
In January 2007, Davis Carter Scott received a Best Building, Environmentally Responsible – Green Construction: Award of Merit from NAIOP for the company's work on the facilities' design. The award honors the architect's ability to convert the original designs for Potomac Yard One and Two from conventional buildings to LEED-certified facilities. Read more about the award in the Davis Carter Scott press release (PDF) (2 pp, 68K).

Environmental Features

The solicitation for offers (SFO) for Potomac Yard contained environmental provisions developed by EPA to ensure that the facility design and operations promote energy and water efficiency and the use of environmentally preferable materials. Included in these provisions were requirements for the new building to acheive the USGBC's LEED-NC and LEED-EB certifications, as well as the ENERGY STAR^® building label. Through these provisions and the achieved certifications, the building has been able to successfully incorporate the following environmental features:

Energy Conservation

In August 2007, Potomac Yard One earned the ENERGY STAR building label. The lease required that the building meet ENERGY STAR building energy performance standards. Only non-chloroflourocarbon based refrigerants were used. Additional commissioning and above-standard building mechanical system controls and monitoring capabilities optimize mechanical system performance and minimize energy use at the building.
A highly reflective ENERGY STAR roof reduces the amount of solar heat absorbed by the building, decreasing the building's cooling load, while minimizing the heat island effect of the building.

Green Power

In FY 2008, EPA continued to support the renewable energy market by purchasing green power through two separate Agencywide blanket contracts for a combined total of 380 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy certificates (RECs), or “green tags,” from Sterling Planet , Luminant Energy Company , and FPL Energy . These purchases will allow EPA to offset 100 percent of electricity consumption for FY 2008 and the first half of FY 2009 at the Potomac Yard offices, as well as many other EPA facilities across the Agency. Procured through the Defense Energy Support Center, these contracts support renewable energy generation from wind and biomass resources in nine states.
On December 20, 2005, EPA signed a three-year green power contract (procured through the Defense Energy Support Center ) for its Potomac Yard offices. Annual delivery of 4.2 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in the form of renewable energy certificates (RECs) covers the period of February 1, 2006 through January 31, 2009. This purchase, which offsets 100 percent of the facility's annual electricity consumption, supports the generation of renewable energy at wind farms in Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.

Water Conservation

The building saves water through the use of plumbing fixtures such as low-flow urinals, dual-flush toilets, and low-flow faucets with electronic shutoff.
Landscaping includes drought-resistant regional plants that do not require extra watering, and, as a result, no irrigation system is needed.
A small green roof was installed on the area of roof that connects the North and South Towers.

Photo of green roof between Potomac Yard One and Two buildings.

Stormwater Management

Sand filters treat stormwater runoff for each tower, and should reduce total suspended solids by more than 80 percent and total phosphorous by 40 percent from entering the Potomac River.

Waste Reduction and Recycling

The building was designed and built to be consistent with EPA's revamped Headquarters recycling program.
The developer recycled 71 percent of the construction period waste, diverting 2,000 tons from landfills.

Alternative Transportation

Extensive bike parking and shower facilities are available for employees that bike to work. The building is located near the George Washington Parkway and Four Mile Run bike paths used by bike commuters.
The building is in close proximity to the local Metrorail trains, Metro buses, and the Agency shuttle bus routes. Shower facilities and onsite bicycle parking for 53 bikes are provided to encourage environmentally responsible commuting.
In FY 2007, EPA purchased 124 alternative fuel vehicles and achieved 108 percent of its EPAct 2005 mandated goal for light-duty vehicle acquisitions. In doing so, the Agency exceeded federal requirements by 33 percent. Since 2000, EPA has exceeded the requirements of Executive Order 13149, which calls for at least 75 percent of new vehicle acquisitions to be AFVs.

Other Features

Indoor air quality is protected by the use of low volatile organic compound interior adhesives, paints, sealants, caulks, environmentally preferable janitorial and cleaning products, and integrated pest management practices.

For More Information

For a summary of the facility's environmental features, view the Sustainable Facilities at EPA: One and Two Potomac Yard, Arlington, Virginia, (PDF) (4 pp, 7.6MB) fact sheet.

Review the Whole Building Design Guide Web site to learn more about the facility—including details on design, construction, and operations and maintenance activities—in the One and Two Potomac Yard Case Study .

Contact:

Cathy Berlow (berlow.cathy@epa.gov)
Architecture, Engineering, and Asset Management Branch (3204R)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: (202) 564-3739

Tour Contact:

Helen T. Smith (smith.helent@epa.gov)
EPA's Building Manager, Potomac Yard
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Mail Code: 3204R
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: (703) 308-8736