Pratt & Whitney Amercon Achieves Highest Honor in Sustainable Design
October 21, 2015: Pratt & Whitney Amercon was recently awarded LEED Platinum, the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest certification. The site is also the first in Pennsylvania to be LEED Platinum certified in the manufacturing industry.
LEED-certified buildings save money and resources and have a positive impact on the health of its occupants, while promoting renewable, clean energy. This achievement aligns with Pratt & Whitney’s global sustainability goals to increase efficiencies, create added value for its customers and employees, and lead industry efforts to reduce aviation’s environmental impact by improving the sustainability of its factories, suppliers and products by 2025.
When the expansion project began, Pratt & Whitney Amercon was looking at all the ways possible to make the facility and its processes more efficient and sustainable for the employees and the manufacturing operations. The careful selection of low-emitting materials, efficient plumbing fixtures and optimized energy performance helped earn points toward the certification.
The certification includes sustainability features as well as technology based features, all of which were low cost, high impact green and sustainable strategies that contributed to this extraordinary achievement. Some key sustainability features include no potable water use for landscape irrigation, a reduction of water usage by 40 percent, and providing bicycle storage to support a healthy lifestyle. Technology-based features include efficient lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and indoor air quality controls during construction keeping occupants and contractors safer and healthier. All of these contribute to Pratt & Whitney’s 2025 sustainability goals.
“Pratt & Whitney Amercon’s LEED Platinum certification is an excellent example of a carefully thought out strategy to employ sustainable methods and materials throughout a facility to achieve efficiencies and implement best practices that benefit our environment, our employees and our customers,” said Mary Anne Cannon, vice president, Environment, Health & Safety, Pratt & Whitney.
As Pratt & Whitney increases PurePower® engine production, its sites are becoming more sustainable than ever. The PurePower engine provides a 16 percent reduction in fuel burn compared with today’s engines and also significantly lowers emissions (CO2), noise and maintenance costs. By comparison, LEED-certified buildings boast a viable working environment that reduces costs. The achievement of LEED Platinum highlights the commitment and common goal of building a sustainable future.
“I’m honored to be part of an organization that cares so deeply about the wellbeing of its employees and its impact on the environment,” Bidwell said. “Pratt & Whitney prides itself on constructing ‘greener’ factories and buildings and extends that commitment to designing and building ‘greener’ jet engines.”
Source: Pratt & Whitney