On behalf of Gov. Mark Schweiker, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary David E. Hess announced that DEP will build the first "green" laboratory in Pennsylvania in the former Health America building on Interstate Drive in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County.
"The new location is much better environmentally because we’re moving into a ’green’ building," Hess said. "The old laboratory location simply does not meet our requirements when it comes to laboratory services. After 30 years at the current building, this move is certainly needed."
The DEP testing laboratory is currently in the old Evangelical Press Building at Third and Reilly streets in Harrisburg.
A "green building" is designed to be environmentally efficient, using less water and electricity and is made of environmentally friendly and recycled materials. The building at 2575 Interstate Drive has 93,680 usable sq. ft. and is listed as a silver LEED (Leadership Energy Environmental Design) facility.
The Department of General Services (DGS) signed a lease for the building with the HarrisPenn Trust.
"Not only did the awarded bidder meet the needs of DEP, it was the lowest cost proposal," said DGS Secretary Kelly Powell Logan. "As co-chair of the Governor’s Green Government Council, we include green specifications in bids for leases and encourage agencies to include green features in their buildings."
A green building can save as much as 50 percent or more in energy usage when compared to traditional buildings and use less water. An experienced design team using an integrated design process can construct a green building for about the same cost as one using traditional design and construction methods.
Materials to be used in the building are selected based on their recycled content and the energy used to produce them. This includes the use of recycled structural steel, fly-ash content concrete, and paint and adhesives made of low or no volatile organic compounds.
The building will house DEP laboratories and support services for analyzing air, water, soil and any number of environmental materials, including processing mosquitoes for the statewide West Nile Virus control program.
For more information, visit www.state.pa.us.
