National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Sustainable NREL

Sustainable Green Buildings

NREL's goal is that all new construction results in sustainable green buildings meeting or exceeding the Gold Level of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) standards (TEAM Initiative goal).

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Guiding the sustainability building designs are:

• NREL's long-term General Development Vision (PDF 3.8 MB)

• The Laboratories for the 21st Century design principles

• Compliance with Executive Order 13423 and TEAM Initiative

  • The federal government's Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings (PDF 873 KB) calling for sustainable practices in 15% of existing building inventory by FY 2015.

  • The TEAM goal is to achieve, at a minimum, Gold ratings for new buildings from the U.S. Green Buildings Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) Green Building Program

• Compliance with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) (section 433) (PDF 738 KB).

NREL's Campus of the Future

As NREL's living campus (PDF 5.5 MB) grows, NREL strives for:

• Safety, security, and sustainability
• Carbon neutrality
• Near zero energy usage
• LEED platinum and gold certification

Science and Technology Facility

NREL's newest building, the 71,000 sq. ft. Science and Technology Facility, achieved a Platinum LEED^® certification — the highest in the LEED^® Green Building rating system.

Research Support Facilities

NREL's next building, the Research Support Facilities is under construction and scheduled for completion in FY 2010. It is a 218,000 sq. ft. office building that is also being designed at the LEED^® Platinum level and as a Net Zero Energy building.