Earth Day Tour of the “Greenest Building in Tarrant County” will showcase Tarrant County’s Subcourthouse in Arlington

TARRANT COUNTY, TEXAS – Tarrant County is leading the way in Texas with design, construction, and certification of its new LEED® Silver Certified Subcourthouse in Arlington, located at 700 E. Abrams St. in Arlington.  This North Texas public entity is at the forefront of the green building movement currently sweeping the nation. With a solid commitment to sustainable design, Tarrant County is seeking to be a good steward and role model to the community by reducing its environmental impact one building at a time.   The good news for taxpayers is that this new building saves 43 percent more water and is 32 percent more energy-efficient than a conventional, similar building.  Of note, it is the first courthouse in Texas to receive LEED certification, the first LEED building for Tarrant County, and the first LEED building in Arlington.  In recognition of this milestone building, the project team is sponsoring a free tour and reception of the new Subcourthouse on Earth Day, April 22, 2010, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.  The tour and reception are open to the public.

The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), Fort Worth is hosting the tour and reception of the new facility. Tours will include an Architect Tour by LBL Architects at 5:15pm, a Construction Tour led tour by Steele & Freeman, Inc. at 5:35, a Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Tour by Baird, Hampton & Brown, Inc. at 5:55 and a Sustainability Tour by Green Building Services and Universal Commissioning Group at 6:15.  You can register at

http://earthdaytarrantcountysubcourthousetour.eventbrite.com. 

On September 22, 2009, David Phillips, Tarrant County Director of Facilities Management, and Tracy Pelle, Project Manager with Tarrant County, presented a plaque from the U.S. Green Building Council to County Commissioner Marti VanRavenswaay and the Commissioners Court commemorating the project’s achievement of LEED SILVER Certification. Of the points pursued during the certification process, the courthouse received all 36 points it was seeking.

The project team is currently working on the construction of the new Tarrant County Northwest Subcourthouse in Lake Worth, which is also registered for LEED Silver Certification.