The BTI-Greensburg John Deere Dealership Installs Tornado-Resistant Daylighting Systems and Other Sustainable Materials

REOPENING

On May 4, 2009—exactly two years after the devastating tornado—the Estes family opened its new LEED Platinum state-of-the-art facility and showroom. Family members report approximately 50 percent in energy-cost savings.

The story is fascinating, not just because of the Estes family’s commitment to building as green as possible, but that the entire town of Greensburg embraced sustainability in its efforts to build back. Greensburg now boasts more LEED-certified
buildings, per capita, than any place on Earth.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornados by the damage caused.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornados by the damage caused. (Click to view larger.)

TEAM

Sustainable design consultant and administrator of the LEED documentation process: BNIM, Kansas City, Mo.
Architect: Landmark Architects, Hutchinson, Kan.
Engineer: PEC Engineers, Wichita, Kan.
General contractor: HASTCO Construction, Emporia, Kan.

ROOF MATERIALS

330 DS Daylighting Systems: Solatube International Inc.
Metal building: Varco Pruden Buildings
Insulation: Bay Insulation Systems Inc., using Owens Corning fiberglass
Energy modeling software (to adapt metal building design to LEED Platinum): U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergyPlus
Wind turbines: Endurance Wind Power Inc.

Learn More

Greensburg, Kan., hosts an interactive website that tells the town’s sustainability story. The site includes green tips; a savings calculator; virtual tour of businesses, churches and homes; LEED checklist; and more.

On the BTI-Greensburg John Deere page, visitors can click on the Gauges button and see energy usage and wind-turbine output. By clicking on the Green Features Map, under “Explore”, and leaf-shaped icons, visitors will see the various green features of the building.

The Greensburg Sustainable Building Database, showcases the city’s green-building projects. It includes stories about single-family residential, multifamily residential and commercial buildings.

Green Facts about the BTI-Greensburg John Deere Dealership

  • It uses 51.5 percent less electricity than code-required minimum performance, which saves 161,911 kilowatt-hours annually—enough electricity to power 14 homes for one year.
  • About 18,600 kWh are produced onsite by two wind turbines.
  • Sixty-four of the 73 tons of construction waste were diverted from landfill for reuse and recycling.
  • The facility uses 48.8 percent less water than code-required minimum, saving 38,750 gallons of water annually.
  • It utilizes low-VOC carpet, paints and sealants throughout the facility to ensure healthy indoor air quality.
  • It has 23 skylights in the service area and 12 tubular daylighting devices in the retail area to utilize natural lighting as much as possible.

About the Author

Beth McRae
Beth McRae, MBA, is president of The McRae Agency, a full-service public relations, social media and marketing agency based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

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