May 20, 2010
Sustainable Green Building Design Practices in Grenada

"Sustainable Green Building and Design Practices" was the theme of a presentation on May 20 by Quinn and Company Limited designer/builder of The Beacon Insurance Company Limited, and GrenSol, designer/supplier of the solar power system which generates partial power for the building. The presentation was just one demonstration of these companies' commitment to sustainable construction.

The presentation was opened by Mr. Christopher Henriques, Vice President of Overseas Operations at The Beacon Insurance Company Limited. He told the audience that when the decision was made to construct their own building in Grenada, The Beacon thought it best to design a structure that would allow business continuity in the face of natural disasters and other catastrophes. He noted that this simple decision caused them to look at alternative ways of providing utilities to the building and eventually along a journey to build an office that was more environmentally friendly.

Mr. Mike Quinn, Managing Director of Quinn Company Limited, reviewed the design criteria employed in the facility which allowed them to improve the water and energy efficiency of the building while providing a workplace that improved indoor quality and employee productivity.

Green Building Design focuses on increasing the efficiency of resource use - energy, water and materials - while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment through better design, construction, operation and maintenance.

The building has a wall system that improves energy efficiency ten times over traditional block construction in Grenada. By combining this with a waterproof radiant barrier on the roof they were able to design a smaller cooling system in the building thereby reducing operating costs significantly. The cooling system in the building utilizes a refrigerant that has zero CFC gas an important factor in reducing damage to the ozone.

Also highlighted in the presentation was the use of sustainable materials especially recycled products such as the light weight steel framing which is made with 67% recycled materials on average and has little or no waste. The design considered recycled content in construction materials as well as utilizing materials that provide high performance and efficiency.

The building has on site renewable energy which reduces the environmental and economic impact of fossil fuels. Dr. Dirk Burkhardt made a presentation of the GrenSol solar power system which has significantly reduced the use of fossil fuel generated electricity. The building receives 50% of its power needs from this system.