© Maxwell MacKenzie 2009

Patriots Plaza II and III, located in the heart of Southwest Washington, DC, have been awarded LEED Core & Shell Gold Certification, making them part of the largest speculative office project in the District to receive a LEED Gold rating. Haynes Whaley’s engineers collaborated with the project team, including Trammell Crow Company, Gensler, B&A Consulting Engineers, and Helix Constructors, to design a facility that meets new government security standards, is marketable to private sector tenants, minimizes the impact to the environment and is energy efficient. Patriots Plaza II and III perform 14% better than ASHRAE 9.1, utilized over 20% of recyclable and regional building materials, and recycled more than 80% of the construction waste.

Patriots Plaza is a three-phase, 1 million sf office complex that is more than 80% leased by the General Services Administration for multiple U.S. Government agencies, including the FBI, FEMA, Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Our engineers provided structural design services for the entire complex, which was the first market-driven urban complex designed to meet post 9/11 security standards for a Level IV facility. Patriots Plaza’s high security features include progressive collapse avoidance, a hardened structure to resist blast loading, special column designs in the below-grade parking garage, and intricate detailing of reinforcement to increase the ability of the structure to confine damage and withstand attack.

Fannie Mae Technology Center

Fannie Mae’s Technology Center in Urbana, MD is celebrating its 5th anniversary and the $1.7 million in energy savings it has realized as the first LEED certified data center in the nation – as reported in a recent Fannie Mae News Release. Haynes Whaley prides itself with being the structural engineer of record on this premier facility. Our staff worked at an accelerated pace with other project team members, including Gensler, EYP Mission Critical Facilities, Mark G. Anderson Consultants and Holder Construction Company, to design the 247,000 sf data center and office facility to LEED standards. With no guidance from previous LEED data center projects, the design team faced a multitude of challenges, but close collaboration and an innovative spirit resulted in success. In addition to incorporating energy-saving features into the design, regional materials were utilized, and 80% of the construction waste was recycled during construction. All of these factors contributed to a more environmentally responsible structure and to the facility’s LEED certification. Since the completion of the Fannie Mae Technology Center, Haynes Whaley has continued to be committed to sustainability with LEED Accredited Professionals on our staff. Many of our projects are working toward or have earned Silver, Gold or Platinum LEED certification.

Haynes Whaley was the engineer of record for the project which also included Developer: Trammell Crow Company; Architect: SmithGroup; and Contractor: Clark Construction.

The project’s sustainable features include water-efficient landscaping, a heat island roof that uses Windtricity from CPS Energy, and light pollution reduction. The project was also recently awarded the “2008 Best in Commercial Real Estate – Best New Office Development Award” by the San Antonio Business Journal.