Citibank sets interiors standards for LEED in retail.

Bank branches are taking a major step forward in the world of Green.

Last year, the United States Green Building Council requested a pilot program to set the benchmark for a LEED certification in Commercial Interiors for Retail. Citibank responded by launching its "Green to the Core" initiative, a plan for all of its new retail branches to become LEED certified by the end of 2008. A new Citibank branch in the Northeast recently became the first space to earn this certification, setting the standards for this new category.

Several global banks have incorporated "green" elements in their branches, but Citibank's program is different. By earning certification in Commercial Interiors for Retail, Citibank has committed itself to an ongoing effort to be environmentally friendly. The construction of these LEED branches is conducted in a volume-build manner, which means that all of Citibank's new retail branches throughout the country will be LEED certified. Now that the prototype branch has been approved by the USGBC, Citibank's green design will be rolled out on a large, national scale.

Working with Citibank on the rollout are WB Engineers | Consultants and EE Linden as the mechanical/electrical/plumbing and fire protection firms; Nelson Architects and TSC Design as the architects; Bovis Lend & Lease and Structure Tone as the contractors; YRG as the LEED consultant; and Jones Lang LaSalle as the project manager. [WB Engineers' role in rolling out this program included our evaluating and recommending LEED compliant standards for the HVAC, electrical and plumbing components.]

This design, like all other LEED certified spaces, not only creates a healthier work environment, but it also reduces operating costs and increases occupant productivity.

In order to lower energy costs, the branches have fewer lighting levels, fewer fixtures, and a lighting control system in place that shuts off lights automatically at night. Additional green elements include:

High efficiency gas fired roof-top units installed with environmentally friendly refrigerants, humidity control, and on-demand ventilation;

Utilization of free cooling, when possible, by using an airside economizer, which mixes colder outdoor air into the space;

Careful monitoring of the humidity and carbon dioxide levels within the branch to provide optimal thermal comfort;

Installation of perimeter baseboard heaters to cover a larger amount of exterior windows. The baseboard uses hot water boilers to generate and circulate water and the boiler's output modulates in temperature in accordance with the outdoor temperature. This provides further energy savings, since less energy is used to produce hot water when outdoor temperature is mild; and,

Green dual low-flow toilets and flow-restricted sinks to minimize the amount of water used.

After the construction is complete, each new branch will undergo commissioning, the systematic process of ensuring that a structure meets the owner's project requirements and the engineering and architectural firms' design. This is required by the USGBC to ensure that all green elements are up to par.

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Although WB's design has already been approved by the USGBC, our firm remains very much involved with the program. We are helping MEP firms in other parts of the country to work on the spaces for Citibank, and we are offering the Northeast program as a guideline and creating descriptions and prescriptive approaches for those building the branches outside of the Northeast.

So far, 17 branches have been constructed in the Northeast, and there are more in the works. Each project, ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 square feet, is on a 12-week construction schedule.

With Citibank in the lead, retail is well on its way to advancing America's sustainability initiatives.

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BY MICHAEL QUIGLEY, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL,

AND KARL GEBHARDT, ASSOCIATE,

WB ENGINEERS