Sustainable Design for East Valley Bus Maintenance Facility

Sustainable Design for East Valley Bus Maintenance Facility
Designed by the team of RNL Design and Maintenance Design Group (MDG), the facility will be certified at the Silver Level, making it the largest and one of the first bus maintenance facilities in the U.S. to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The City of Tempe Redevelopment Review Committee approved conceptual designs for the new East Valley Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility in January.

The City and design team are working together to implement sustainable design for this facility and the City is also pursuing sustainable design for the Tempe Transportation Center project. Implementing LEED principles and certifying the project ensures specific sustainable, energy efficient, and water-saving criteria are met. The Silver Level is a step above the Certified Level in USGBC's progressive LEED certification levels.

"The Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility offers a terrific opportunity for incorporating green building principles. We can reduce the local heat island effect and recharge the groundwater by using permeable paving or stabilized decomposed granite for employee parking," says Bonnie Richardson, Architect and Principal Planner for the Transportation Division of the City of Tempe, and LEED Accredited Professional.