Above: the building in St Thomas

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The new office of St Thomas-based architecture firm Springline Architects has received LEED Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council for its new headquarters.

The property, which is located at Estate Smith Bay, is one of two projects in the Caribbean to receive LEED Platinum certification, which is the highest level offered by the USGBC. It is the first in the Virgin Islands to do so.

More than 44,000 projects are participating in the LEED commercial rating systems.

“I wish to acknowledge the prestige surrounding the LEED Platinum Certification and congratulate Michael de Haas, Kevin Philip Qualls and Theresa Roberts on achieving the highest rating for their new building. They are definitely leading by example,” said US Virgin Islands Governor John de Jongh. “I was present for the groundbreaking of the new building in October of 2011, and it is wonderful that the project has been completed so successfully and received such national attention. I hope that other builders in the territory will consider developing their projects with LEED certification in mind.”

The building includes solar panels, special insulation materials and 42 percent lower energy consumption than benchmark, along with impact resistant windows that provide lighting for most of the day, among other features.

The property also recycles all water on site, 20 percent of its energy needs are met by the solar panels.

“The green building movement offers an unprecedented opportunity to respond to the most important challenges of our time, including global climate change, dependence on non-sustainable and expensive sources of energy, and threats to human health,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair of the USGBC. “The work of innovative building projects such as Springline Architects’ office building is a fundamental driving force in the green building movement.”