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New office building in West Akron to use 20 percent less energy
By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
Published on Friday, Oct 10, 2008
At first glance, FirstEnergy Corp.'s recently finished West Akron Campus office building looks like any other new, sleek structure.
But upon closer inspection, it's apparent why it is being called the city of Akron's first large-scale ''green office building.''
The building, constructed by Welty Building Co. of Fairlawn, is constructed to what are known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) specifications. First-Energy (NYSE: FE) hopes to earn what is called the ''Silver'' LEED certification for a project that includes:
• Square and rectangle pieces of metal on the outside of the building above windows, which are actually sun shades to reduce energy consumption.
• A parking lot made of white concrete to reflect sunlight, instead of black asphalt, which produces a lot of heat.
• A brass bulb on top of the flagpole in front of the building that houses LED lights that shine directly on the flag and move with it as it changes with the wind — reducing ''light pollution,'' said Mike Molinski, project manager for the Cleveland-based architecture firm Vocon.
''A lot of what goes into making a high-tech environment is not easy to see,'' said FirstEnergy spokeswoman Ellen Raines before a media tour of the new building on Thursday.
The $33 million building on White Pond Drive will eventually house 700 employees of FirstEnergy and its subsidiary, FirstEnergy Solutions. So far, about 200 Internet technology workers who were spread among the company's various buildings, including the downtown headquarters, have moved in. About 40 FirstEnergy Solutions workers have also moved in, and the remaining employees and corporate security department will move in by the first quarter of next year.
In total, there will be 1,400 FirstEnergy employees on the West Akron campus, which also includes Ohio Edison's largest operations service center in the Akron area and a FirstEnergy call center.
In Summit County, FirstEnergy employs about 2,700.
The Akron-based electric company built the new state-of-the-art building after being approached by the city and Sterling Jewelers to vacate its company-owned building on Ghent Road to allow for the jeweler's headquarters to expand.
The new 208,000 square-foot-building has been built to use 20 percent less energy than a similar-sized building constructed to current code, said Molinski.
Materials aimed at LEED specification have become more available and usually do not cost more than their counterparts, said Molinski.
Other environmentally friendly highlights in the building include a raised-access floor system in much of the building, which is built 18 inches above the structural portion of the floor. This allows air systems to be built underneath the floor instead of having the ductwork above in the ceiling. It's more energy efficient and has round discs on the floor, which allow office workers to control the air flow around their areas.
FirstEnergy is also trying to encourage energy-efficient behavior while going for its LEED certification. Prime parking spots next to the building are labeled for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles. There are also prime spaces for cars that participate in car pools and areas for bicyclists.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.
At first glance, FirstEnergy Corp.'s recently finished West Akron Campus office building looks like any other new, sleek structure.
Get the full article here.
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