NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Caterpillar Financial Center has been awarded LEED-EB(R) 2.0 (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Achieving the certification makes the Cat Financial Center the first building in the Caterpillar family and the first privately owned, commercial building in Tennessee to become LEED-EB certified. LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED-Gold certification is the second highest rating obtainable in the system. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. SSRCx, a Nashville-based commissioning firm specializing in the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings, provided LEED facilitation services for the project.
