791 Parking Spaces for Platinum: New Jersey’s Greenest Building Set to Open in Morristown
Stephen Del Percio
Notwithstanding its 791-space parking garage, 14 Maple Avenue in Morristown is about to become the greenest building in New Jersey. The 30,000-square foot, four-story structure is being built by the Morristown Parking Authority and will seek a LEED Platinum rating from USGBC. In addition to housing Authority offices, the building will also be home to the non-profit offices of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Seeing Eye Inc., the Fannie E. Rippel Foundation, the Morristown Partnership and the Morris Arts Council. The parking garage will allot spaces for both members of the public and building employees.
The executive officer of the Morristown Parking Authority credits the Dodge Foundation as being the driving factor behind the decision to build the greenest building possible. David Grant, the Dodge Foundation’s president, stated that “our goals were to create a green building that is both educational and inspirational.” In addition to bamboo and cork covered floors, plants are essential to the green features of the building. A plant-covered green roof will conserve energy, soak up carbon emissions to reduce air pollution, and control temperature fluctuations which lead to roof degradation. Inside, air will be purified by the largest “biowall” in the United States. This three-story wall of plants will connect to the building’s heating and cooling system and act as a natural filter for removing toxins from the air. Mr. Grant says that “the entire building is almost seen as a living organism.”
The parking garage structure is estimated at $19 million, and the office structure is budgeted at $8.3 million. However, the high front-end price tag for the extra environmental features will mean sustainable savings in long-term energy costs. To replace traditional heating and cooling units, geothermal wells will be set 530 feet deep and use the 55 degree temperature at that depth to heat and cool the building, while sunshades will be used to regulate heat during summer and winter months. The building will also feature solar panels to offset electricity costs.
