COLUMBIA, Md., May 10, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Integral Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:ISYS) announced today that its global corporate headquarters in Columbia, MD, has received Silver LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the nation's preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance, environmentally responsible buildings.
"As a company, we take seriously our commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen, which includes reducing our environmental footprint and providing a healthy work environment for our employees," said Paul Casner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Integral Systems. "We are honored to have received the Silver LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and pledge to continue to seek ways to make environmentally conscious improvements throughout the organization."
Working with Commercial Office Property Trust's (COPT) design and construction teams (which included LEED Accredited Professionals), Integral Systems designed its Columbia, MD-based global headquarters as a high-performance building that seeks to maximize efficiency, create the healthiest workplace environment possible, and minimize environmental impact.
Some features of Integral Systems' GREEN building are:
- Improved Indoor Air Quality -- use of high-efficiency filtration systems and a "Green Housekeeping" program for a healthy, comfortable work environment
- Energy Efficiency -- best-of-breed design strategies that result in a high performance building that reduce solar gain, minimize air leaks, reduce the so-called "heat island effect"
- Reduced Water Consumption -- the building consumes 40-50 percent less water than the norm, saving as much as 430,000 gallons of water annually
- Commissioning -- verifies that the building systems, including HVAC, are operating at the intended level, ensuring peak efficiency
- Collection Management (Recycling) -- dedicated collection management areas shall be provided for items that can be recycled
- Construction Waste Management and Erosion Control -- reduces stress on local sewers and streams, as well as landfill load
The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system is the preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. 35,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED system, comprising over 5.6 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 91 countries. "LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "The urgency of USGBC's mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Integral Systems' commitment to green building leadership serves as a prime example of how much we can accomplish."
ABOUT INTEGRAL SYSTEMS
Integral Systems, Inc. of Columbia, MD applies more than 25 years experience to provide integrated technology solutions for satellite communications-interfaced systems. Customers have relied on the Integral Systems family of companies (Integral Systems, Inc., Integral Systems Europe, Lumistar, Inc., Newpoint Technologies, Inc., RT Logic, and SAT Corporation) to deliver on time and on budget for more than 250 satellite missions. Our dedication to customer service has solidified long-term relationships with the U.S. Air Force, NASA, NOAA, and nearly every satellite operator in the world. Integral Systems was named the Region III Prime Contractor of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2009. For more information, visit www.integ.com.
ABOUT USGBC
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. USGBC is composed of more that 15,000 organizations from across the building industry that are working to advance structures that are environmentally responsible and healthy places to live and work. More information about the USGBC, including the LEED® certification program, can be found at http://www.usgbc.org.
ABOUT LEED
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ engages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the use of universally accepted tools and performance criteria. LEED ® certification is a third-party program that is the nationally-accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.