Rushing’s Sustainability Studio collaborated with the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), KPFF engineering, Aqua Engineering, JJR, and Anderson Engineering on this project, acting as the sustainability consultant for the expansion and renovation of this Department of Veteran Affairs cemetery.  As a federal project, this expansion needed to adhere to the Federal Sustainability Mandate and VA Green Buildings Action Plan, requiring adherence (or design equivalency) to LEED-NC Silver or Two Green Globes certification.

The Sustainability Studio’s contribution included charrette facilitation to familiarize the team with the Federal Sustainability requirements, set goals for ensuring requirements were met, and guide the team in selection of project- and cost-appropriate sustainability strategies.  Life cycle cost and cost/benefit analyses were executed and an emphasis was placed on energy and water saving strategies, resulting in LEED Silver equivalency and 98% energy savings.