GM Building Becomes First Brownfield Site to Earn LEED Certification

Jun 26, 2013 11:45 AM ET
Campaign: GM Energy Efficiency
Sustainable landscaping surrounds Building 23 at GM’s Milford (Mich.) Proving Ground – the fourth GM facility to achieve LEED certification.

If you have ever visited our Milford Proving Ground, you probably made a quick stop at Building 23 to sign in and receive your visitor’s pass before you made your way out to your destination.

This nearly 37,000-square-foot administration building has now gained entry into the LEED certification club, becoming the fourth facility in the GM family to do so. It is also the first GM brownfield site to achieve this designation. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program certified the site, which involved nearly a complete demolition.

Doug Ravas, our senior manager of global facilities, says the challenge of converting a brownfield site lies in working around existing infrastructure.

“With a greenfield site, you’re operating on virgin ground, so you can shape it to your whim. A brownfield site conversion takes diligent planning and execution, which makes receiving LEED certification more fulfilling for the team,” he said.

The building joins three other LEED certified facilities within GM: GM China Advanced Technical Center (Silver), GM China Headquarters (Gold) and Lansing (Mich.) Delta Township (Gold).

Since this project aligns with GM’s green construction program, the company donated approximately 11 tons of material to Habitat for Humanity, including carpet tile, ceiling tile, old TVs and VCRs. In total, it recycled more than 200 tons of construction material, including 128 tons of steel and 49 tons of concrete.

Milford Proving Ground is also certified as a Wildlife at Work site by the Wildlife Habitat Council, and houses a Solar Tracking Tree® that provides 30,000 kilowatt hours of solar power annually.