CIA - Nice Move

CHANTILLY, Va., Jan. 30, 2008 -- The Central Intelligence Agency is expanded its newest campus, which was designed to be energy efficient and easy on the environment.

Construction is underway on the second office building, which will utilize many of the same green features as the northern Virginia campus' other office, visitor center and central plant.

The CIA campus was designed to be as green as possible from the top on down. The current office building's roof is covered in 22,000 square feet of vegetation. Green roofs lower the heating and cooling needs of buildings, reduce stormwater runoff and filter pollutants from the air and rainwater.

A number of water-saving initiatives, including low-flow water closets, efficient faucets and showerheads, and waterless urinals, have cut water use in the buildings by 40 percent.

By installing occupancy sensors, maximizing the use of daylight and tasklights as well as utilizing efficient electronics, the campus has reduced its energy use by 21 percent.

To try to lessen the impact of employee commuting, some parking spots are set aside for carpoolers or low emission and fuel efficient vehicles. Bike racks and public transportation are also available.

During construction, about 20 percent of the buildings were made up of recycled content, and more than half of the waste generated was diverted from going to a landfill.

Due to all the green building measures, the first office building earned a silver LEED rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, and the visitor center and central plant were each certified LEED gold.