Rooted in Sustainability

Seeking the “highest level of green” has been BRIT’s dream from the beginning. We are, after all, an organization that shares knowledge about the plant world to enhance life for all living things, believing that with knowledge comes a sense of care and stewardship for our environment.

So by the nature of who we are and what we do, we wanted our new building to be more than a world-class structure. We wanted the building itself to teach about environmental principles and stewardship.

It does.

Our new 70,000-square-foot home in the Fort Worth Cultural District is one of only eight buildings in Texas to earn the platinum certification in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™.

 

See Inside Our Building

LEEDing the way to a greener tomorrow.

The U.S. Green Building Council, a coalition of building industry leaders, educators and government agencies, created the LEED® Green Building Rating System as a voluntary market-driven protocol. The Council awards different levels of certification based on total credits earned.

Under the LEED rating system for new construction, BRIT’s headquarters was awarded 56 points.  USGBC rating system requires a score of 52 or higher to achieve its platinum rating. The building’s estimated energy savings is approximately $37,000 per year, which is 50 percent higher than energy code recommendations.  

 

Sustainable Site:
Rain gardens are shallow depressions near runoff sources. Planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses, they protect sewers from flooding, nourish indigenous plants and help reduce pollution and erosion.

 

Sustainable Site:
Our low-emissions vehicle parking rewards drivers of low-emission cars with preferred parking spaces. Cars must be classed as zero-emissions vehicles or score 40 on the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy Rating Guide. Carpool and vanpool vehicles qualify, too.

 

Sustainable Site:
A restored prairie habitat preserves existing trees and reintroduces native grasses. The LEED credit requires that at least 50% of a developed site be restored to a viable ecosystem. BRIT has restored more than 76%.

 

Sustainable Site:
Our vegetative roof is carpeted with plants that reduce cooling/heating needs as well as rainwater runoff. It also improves durability and provides a habitat for native plants, butterflies and birds. Need another benefit? It’s just plain lovely to see.

 

Sustainable Site:
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) preserve the nocturnal environment on which many plants and animals depend. The “cutoff designs” of our energy-efficient fixtures eliminate light spill.

 

Water Effiency:
Indigenous plant material reduces maintenance costs and lets Mother Nature do the watering instead of sprinkler systems. Local plants that grow most efficiently in their native habitat create a hardy, self-sustaining ecosystem.

 

Water Effiency:
A retention pond stores stormwater runoff from the roof and parking area. Most of our site doesn’t need irrigation, but for the small portion that does, this eliminates the use of potable water.

 

Water Effiency:
A cistern collects runoff from the living roof and stores it within the large tank. This green alternative to using potable water is based on an ancient concept of collecting rainwater.

 

Energy & Atmosphere:
A geothermal well isn’t an underground boiler or air conditioner. It’s Earth itself. BRIT takes advantage of Earth’s constant temperature with 166 geothermal “wells” drilled beneath our parking lot and landscaping, which means you’re standing above a well right now. This technology cuts our heating and cooling loads by more than 50%.

 

Energy & Atmosphere:
Rooftop solar panels reduce costs, climate-change emissions, and dependence on fossil fuels. Green Mountain Energy® Solar at BRIT is a solar photovoltaic (PV) array on our herbarium roof that provides approximately 14% of our building’s electricity requirements. How’s that for tapping a clean, renewable and free energy source?

 

Energy & Atmosphere:
An urban heat island effect is created when heat absorbed by concrete surfaces increases daytime temperatures in an urban area.  The outside walls of the building are light colored so they reflect heat to reduce heat absorption.   Plants on the living roof and outside walls shade the building, reducing the amount of heat generated by the sun that is absorbed by the building.  This not only makes the building more energy efficient by keeping its “skin” cool which reduces demand on the AC system but also makes occupants and visitors outside of the building more comfortable by reducing heat that is absorbed and then radiated by the building.

Most of the BRIT site is either vegetated, or of a light colored pathway material.  These items also reduce the heat island effect generated by the site.