Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix) new North American headquarters, opened in November 2021, has now been awarded LEED Silver certification. The light-filled structure is located on a leafy-green, 56-acre campus in Avon, Ohio, just west of Cleveland.
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, outlines the fundamental elements for a healthy, high-efficiency, and cost-saving green building. Administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability and leadership.
Bendix’s new headquarters – which consists of a main building totaling more than 200,000 square feet and a free-standing, multi-bay commercial vehicle garage – is certified to LEED Silver v4, a newer and even more rigorous set of requirements than earlier versions of LEED Silver. According to LEED data for Ohio, the building is the first in Avon to achieve LEED Silver v4 certification.
“We’re proud to achieve LEED Silver certification for our headquarters facility,” said Maria Gutierrez, Bendix director of corporate responsibility and sustainability. “This building is not only beautiful to look at and a wonderful, inviting place to work. It’s also a reflection of Bendix’s long-standing sustainability strategy, supporting our goal to be a partner with our planet by reducing energy consumption; diverting waste from landfill; and increasing our use of green, renewable energy.”
“In keeping with this LEED commitment, before a single line was drawn or shovelful of dirt turned for the new headquarters, Bendix invested in LEED and made it a core part of the building program,” said Jim Wischmeier, Bendix facilities and maintenance manager, who worked with project champions in senior leadership and helped choreograph the LEED process. “LEED considerations were critical in all decisions, including making LEED expertise part of the criteria in choosing partners for the project.”
Bendix gave special attention to energy efficiency, integrating a comprehensive energy strategy in the design and operations of the facility. Throughout the process, the team used energy modeling as a design-assist tool – taking into account such factors as site conditions, massing, building envelope, lighting, thermal comfort, and programming.
Bendix says high-efficiency lighting, windows, insulation, and HVAC equipment help reduce overall energy consumption in the building by over 18% compared to similar buildings. The building utilizes submeters to monitor lab, HVAC, and lighting energy use, enabling Bendix to track energy usage in real time. Lighting is 100% LED, with sensors to determine occupancy in a room and daylight-harvesting energy management controls that automatically dim or switch off lighting when sufficient ambient light is present in the space. Additionally, each office has “controlled” electrical receptacles that power down each evening and power back up each morning.
Bendix adds it counted enhancing indoor air quality as another priority in the new building. To promote employee comfort, well-being, and productivity, the design team incorporated several strategies. These include high-efficiency filtration; walk-off mats (floor mats designed to remove debris from the soles of shoes) placed at all regularly used entrances; carbon dioxide sensors in all densely populated areas; extensive use of no- or low-emitting materials, limiting pollutants in the indoor environment; and volatile organic compound (VOC) monitoring on each floor.
