Arlington, Virginia - Potomac Yard

These facilities feature the following green attributes:
LEED-NC 2.1 Gold
LEED-EB 2.0 Gold (Potomac Yard One)
Green Power
ENERGY STAR

One of EPA's Headquarters Facilities

Total Facility Area: 315,231 rentable square feet (RSF) (EPA share)
Estimated Personnel: 1,631 EPA personnel
Energy Consumption: 24,073,723,080 British thermal units (Btu) per year (EPA share)
Btu per RSF per Year: 76,369
Water Consumption: 3,778,000 gallons per year
Gallons per RSF per Year: 11.98

All energy and water data are reported as of FY 2008.

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, also known as Potomac Yard One, and a portion of the North Tower, also known as Potomac Yard Two).

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 buildings 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, 55K) and the Potomac Yard Two LEED Scorecard (PDF) (1 pg, 56K). In 2008, as part of EPA's new focus on operations and maintenance improvements at existing buildings, Potomac Yard One 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, the U.S. Department of Energy 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

EPA offsets 100 percent of the electricity consumption at Potomac Yard with renewable energy certificates (RECs) purchased through the Agency's current blanket green power contract. Learn more about EPA's current and past blanket green power contracts.
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 kWh in the form of RECs covered the period of February 1, 2006, through January 31, 2009. This purchase, which offset 100 percent of the facility's annual electricity consumption, supported 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 Potomac Yard One and Two.

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 entering the Potomac River by more than 80 percent and total phosphorous by 40 percent.

Waste Reduction and Recycling - Construction

27 percent of building materials contain recycled content (value of post-consumer content plus half of post-industrial content as percentage of total cost of materials).
35 percent recycled content (approximately 670,000 pounds of ground granulated blast-furnace slag ) was used in portions of the below grade, poured-in-place concrete structure.
71 percent of construction period waste was recycled, diverting 2,000 tons from landfills.

Waste Reduction and Recycling - Operations

The building was designed and built to be consistent with EPA's revamped Headquarters recycling program. EPA tenants have recycling bins on each floor to collect bottles, cans, paper, cardboard, batteries, CD/DVD/diskettes, and toner/inkjet cartridges. A recycling room next to the loading dock in each building stores recyclables until they can be hauled to offsite recycling facilities.

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.

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