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GM Building in Milford Earns LEED Certification


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Joins three other GM LEED-certified facilities More than 200 tons of steel and concrete recycled during construction

MILFORD, MI--June 25, 2013: A nearly 37,000-square-foot facility at General Motors’ Milford Proving Ground is now certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The facility, known as the proving ground’s administration building, is GM’s first brownfield site to earn the designation.

The project involved nearly a complete demolition of the existing facility, focusing on LEED sustainable design and construction guidelines as well as strict GM green construction protocol.

“The challenge of converting a brownfield site lies in working around existing infrastructure,” said Doug Ravas, senior manager, GM Global Facilities. “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.”

GM 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.

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

Worldwide, GM pursues green building design and construction practices on all projects. Whether it constructs a new facility or upgrades existing ones, GM uses LEED design and engineering guidelines for resource efficiency, conservation and sustainable materials.

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

For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability report and environmental blog.