Kansas City, Kansas

Atrium of Kansas City Headquarters Building.

This facility features the following green attributes:
Green Power
ENERGY STAR
Mechanical Upgrades

Region 7 Office

Total Facility Area: 203,475 rentable square feet (RSF) (EPA share)
Estimated Personnel: 667 EPA personnel
Energy Consumption: 14,186,770,800 Btu per year (EPA share)
Btu per RSF per Year: 69,722
Water Consumption: 4,984,672 gallons per year (EPA share)
Gallons per RSF per Year: 24.5

All energy and water data are reported as of FY 2011.

Description

Planning for a Move

Exterior of the new Region 7 Office building. In April 2011, EPA announced plans to move its Region 7 Office into a new building in Lenexa, Kansas. The new building achieved Silver certification under the LEED^® for New Construction rating system (version 2.2) in February 2009, and earned the ENERGY STAR^® label with a score of 89 out of 100 in 2011.

The facility, which is within a quarter mile of three bus stops, is comprised of four two-story wings separated by exterior landscaped courtyards that connect to three ponds and a walking trail system. More than 50 percent of the site area has been planted with native plants or adaptive species. Multiple low impact development techniques such as vegetated swales, sand filters, and a constructed wetland treat and infiltrate stormwater on site.

Inside, an open floor plan allows for substantial flexibility to accommodate the Agency’s needs. An under-floor heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system improves energy performance and provides controls at user workstations, while restrooms use dual flush toilets, waterless urinals, and efficient hand dryers.

The building lessor plans to achieve Gold certification under the LEED for New Construction rating system when it undertakes renovations to meet EPA’s programmatic requirements, and to achieve Platinum certification under the LEED for Existing Buildings rating system during operation of the facility.

EPA’s Region 7 Office moved into its current building in Kansas City, Kansas, in June 1999. Built on a brownfield site, this building features many award-winning design attributes, including a four-story, light-filled atrium that provides natural lighting for most of the office space. EPA's 10-year lease expired in 2009, and the Agency has extended the lease until it can move into the new building (see "Planning for a Move").

Unique Environmental Features

Energy Conservation

The building in which the Region 7 Office is located was awarded the ENERGY STAR^® label in 2008 with a score of 76, in 2010 with a score of 82, and in 2011 with a score of 81.

Green Power

EPA offsets 100 percent of the electricity consumption at the Region 7 Office 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.

Green Building

For building materials, recycled content products were used wherever possible. For example, foundation materials containing fly ash (a byproduct of coal combustion) were used throughout construction. In addition, nearly all the interior finish contains recycled or environmentally preferable content. The ceramic tiles, for example, were made from more than 70 percent postindustrial recycled waste glass, while the carpet consists of 25 percent recycled material.

Water Conservation

As part of EPA's Green Rider for the Kansas City Region 7 Office, water is conserved through low-flow faucets, urinals, and toilets. To learn more, please see the Kansas City Regional Office Green Rider.

For More Information About This Facility

Website: www.epa.gov/region7

Off the Shelf (PDF) (27 pp, 4.7MB, About PDF). This publication provides more information on the Kansas City, Kansas, Headquarters building. Disclaimer: This publication was prepared by various members of the Kansas City EPA Regional Headquarters building team, including EPA staff, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) staff, and the building developer's staff. This is not an official EPA publication. Small changes have been made to the original publication (and have been marked) to reflect more current information. This document also includes references to specific products and companies that assisted EPA and GSA with the project. These references are included to provide additional detail and do not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

Bucky Green (green.bucky@epa.gov)
Sustainable Facilities Practices Branch
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. (3204R)
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: (202) 564-6371
Fax: (202) 565-2066