New Haven, Conn. – Mayor John DeStefano Jr. has awarded New Haven architectural firm Svigals + Partners with a 2006 Mayor’s Green Award. The firm was lauded for upholding high standards of environmental responsibility through its sustainable building designs, and demonstrating a commitment to green initiatives established by the Mayor.

Selected by a City committee from among numerous submissions, Svigals + Partners was recognized specifically for transforming a third floor laboratory wing of Yale University’s School of Medicine into a “green” state-of-the-art laboratory facility – making it the first lab renovation project in the country to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted standard developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to distinguish building projects that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability by meeting the highest performance standards.

 

Completed in late spring, 2006, the renovated C-wing of the Sterling Hall of Medicine’s third floor (referred to as C-3) currently houses the Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Neurobiology. The space incorporates a variety of sustainable design features – including rapidly renewable materials, such as “agboard” made from wheat straw and insulation manufactured from recycled blue jeans. 

 

“Svigals + Partners is honored to be recognized with a Mayor’s Green Award for completing the nation’s first LEED Commercial Interiors green lab renovation at Yale,” said Barry Svigals, managing partner, Svigals + Partners. “We are extremely proud of this project and our commitment to sustainable buildings that can serve future generations. We are delighted that the importance of green building and its related environmental benefits are gaining increased attention and support.”

 

“It is essential that we take the time every day to do something to improve the quality of our environment and to make our communities clean and healthy,” noted DeStefano. “The work that Svigals + Partners has completed at Yale is to be applauded because it shows the firm is a true leader in this effort.”

 

To further acknowledge Svigals + Partners’ work on the Yale C-3 project, a cherry tree was planted at the John S. Martinez School, 100 James Street, New Haven, on April 19 to coincide with Earth Day (April 22). Svigals + Partners designed the K-8 facility, which opened in 2004, and requested that the tree be planted at the school’s entrance to remind students of the critical role trees play in helping preserve the environment.

 

“It’s important that we reinforce environmental consciousness in the minds of our young people,” stated Svigals. “Planting a tree outside one of New Haven’s newest elementary schools provides the perfect opportunity to do so. Further, it offers a lasting tribute to the Mayor’s green efforts as well as our own commitment to future generations.”

 

Svigals + Partners, a full-service architectural design and master planning firm based in New Haven, Conn., is reviving figurative art in architecture and is bringing its beauty, relevance and distinction into the 21st century. Established in 1983, Svigals + Partners employs 25 and serves clients throughout the U.S., offering a complete range of architectural services from master planning, site selection and feasibility studies through design and construction. The company specializes in four project areas: education, laboratory, corporate and master planning. The firm is known for its original and imaginative integration of planning, design, sculpture and artwork. For more information, visit www.svigals.com.