When engineers told the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) that its Civil War-era office building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. was literally falling down, the Quaker lobbying group saw an opportunity to put its advocacy of environmental stewardship into action with a green building.

“We believe that humankind must respect the ecological integrity and sacredness of the natural world,” said Joe Volk, FCNL’s executive director. “A headquarters that has a low environmental impact and creates a healthy environment for our staff is a tangible demonstration of what we believe.”

FCNL worked with architecture/engineering firm Burt Hill to renovate the structure to incorporate the following major green elements:

• A geothermal heating-cooling system that uses ten 300-foot-deep wells drilled on the property.
• A low-maintenance vegetated roof, which helps to reduce cooling costs.
• A south-facing glass light scoop that captures natural light on the roof and conveys it downward into three floors of the building’s central core through glass floors in the elevator lobby.
• Energy efficient windows, made with high-insulating, low-emissive glass. Since many of the windows can be opened, staff can enjoy the natural comfort of the temperate spring and fall climate. Many of the spaces can operate during daylight hours without artificial lighting.

The FCNL's office building on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., features a low-maintenance vegetated roof that helps minmize cooling costs.

These features reduce energy use and lower peak electrical demand to about 60 percent of a conventional office building.

The FCNL building uses low-VOC adhesives, sealants, and paints to reduce the introduction of contaminants into the indoor environment. Built-in casework was made of a no-added-urea-formaldehyde agrifiber product. All-natural bamboo flooring throughout the building, Greenguard-certified systems furniture, and high-recycled-content acoustic ceiling tiles and carpets also contribute to the healthy indoor environment.

Other green design elements of the reconstructed building include: exterior lighting designed to reduce light pollution; low-maintenance landscaping with indigenous plants; a low-energy electric traction elevator that uses no hydraulic fluid; bicycle parking plus a shower and changing room; low-flow toilets and water fixtures; materials manufactured or harvested largely within 500 miles of the site; electricity purchased from renewable energy sources; and use of environmentally friendly cleaning and maintenance materials and methods.

FCNL is LEED-registered project anticipating a Silver LEED rating for the nearly 10,000-square-foot building, which maintains its standing as a contributing building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Since the building opened in September 2005, it has become a model in the Washington, D. C. area for those considering green building. Members of Congress, congressional energy and environment committee staff, staff from the Architect of the Capitol, and Washington office leaders of faith organizations have visited the facility to learn from FCNL’s experience with sustainable design. A tour of the building contributed to the decision of one senator to reintroduce the High-Performance Green Buildings Act, which is meant to promote green design in government and public buildings and spur research into efficient building technologies.

FRIENDS COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL LEGISLATION (FCNL) OFFICE BUILDING

The FCNL building is a LEED-registered project, and is anticipating a Silver ranking.

LOCATION: CAPITOL HILL, WASHINGTON, D.C.

SIZE: 10,000 SQUARE FEET

DATE OPENED: SEPTEMBER 2005

ARCHITECT, ENGINEER, INTERIOR DESIGNER, AND LANDSCAPE DESIGNER: BURT HILL

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: OZUSTA CONSULTING ENGINEERS

GENERAL CONTRACTOR: KFOURY CONSTRUCTION GROUP

MATERIAL SOURCES:

ARMSTRONG CEILING TILES

BELDEN BRICK

DEPP GLASS STRUCTURAL GLASS FLOORING

FLORIDA HEAT PUMPS

HERMAN MILLER SYSTEMS FURNITURE

KONE ECO-SPACE ELEVATOR

LITECONTROL, ZUMTOBEL, AND IO LIGHTING FIXTURES

PELLA WINDOWS

ROOFSCAPES EXTENSIVE GREEN ROOF SYSTEM

SHERWIN WILLIAMS HARMONY PAINTS

TRUSJOIST FRAMING