With an entire section of its corporate website devoted to green concepts, Hubbell Lighting Inc. has demonstrated its ability to talk the talk as far as sustainability is concerned. What visitors to the site might not realize is that company officials also know how to walk the walk. And with the construction of their new corporate headquarters back in 2007, they proved it!
Located in Greenville, South Carolina, the Hubbell office building was designed by McMillan Smith & Partners, also of Greenville. It is a showcase for the company’s energy-saving lighting products as well as sustainable construction solutions overall. The U.S. Green Building Council affirmed as much by designating the four-story, 185,000 sq. ft. a LEED Silver certification recipient.
In addition to having the state-of-the-art in terms of energy-efficient lighting, the building has a number of noteworthy green features, including those related to the Energy and Atmosphere, Indoor Air Quality, Water Reduction, and Materials and Resources sections on the LEED qualifications form.
Sustainable efforts in the Materials and Resources category included purchasing products and materials manufactured in close regional proximity to the building site, and using products and materials that met stringent requirements for both recycled content and the ability to be recycled again later. One product fitting the bill in all regards was the aluminum composite material wall system. It was fabricated by Altech Panel Systems LLC of Carterville, GA, using ALPOLIC® aluminum composite material from Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America Inc. of Chesapeake, VA.
ALPOLIC® material is comprised of two skins of aluminum bonded to an LDPE core. In addition to the skins being completely recyclable, the core material is 100% virgin. According to Mitsubishi, the post-consumer recycle content for its LDPE material is 23.79%. The post-industrial recycle content is 23.66%. For purposes of LEED, the LPDE core percent recycle is 35.62, which is high enough to earn LEED credits in both the rating system’s Materials and Resources category and in Innovation and Design Process.
The project used nearly 50,000 sq. ft. of the 4mm-thick ALPOLIC material in a Mica Platinum finish. The material was fabricated into panels by Altech for use with the company’s Accu-Trac exposed seal attachment system. Performing the installation was SECO Architectural Systems Inc. of Snellville, GA.
The project’s general contractor was Harper Construction, Greenville.
About Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America
Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America, Inc is the global leader of aluminum and metal composite materials. With U.S. headquarters in Chesapeake, VA., Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America (MPCA) has been manufacturing the ALPOLIC® materials for architectural wall cladding and specialty applications markets since 1974. MPCA is truly a global presence, serving a worldwide customer base with products that offer innovation, style, and performance. To learn more, visit www.alpolic-usa.com.