Merritt Environmental Consulting’s
headquarters awarded LEED Gold

Hauppauge, NY Merritt Environmental Consulting Corp. (MECC) headquarters located at 519 Rte. 111 has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The one-story 4,710 s/f commercial office building was purchased in June 2022. Gentile Custom Builders renovated the building while pursuing the LEED v4.1 for Interior Design and Construction. In partnership with County Energy Controls, the building was equipped with a 75F HVAC monitoring system that ensures energy efficiency coupled with reduced energy consumption.

Stasi Brothers repaired the 4,068 s/f deteriorated parking lot. The paving company dug-up the lot and sent the asphalt to a facility that was able to liquify the material and returned it to the location to be reused. This process reduced carbon emissions associated with the production of new paving materials.

The building was fitted with materials that are made from both pre-consumer and post-consumer recyclables from floor to ceiling.  Locally sourced barn wood was reclaimed and used as a design element, prolonging its lifespan and diverting these materials from a landfill.

Biophilic design was incorporated to capture Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), a flowing water feature with aquatic life, and skylights that offer more natural light into the enclosure was implemented and maintained by Skyfish Aquariums and Ponds Inc. The building is also equipped with green vehicle priority parking spots and two electric vehicle charging stations.

Other initiatives undertaken by the LEED team included the use of recycled ceiling tiles and flooring materials, the use of low VOCs paints and a water filtration system installed by TNT Plumbing Inc.

MECC worked with PSEG and National Grid to achieve rebates for installing LED light fixtures and a tankless water heater helping reduce water usage.

The LEED team included: Chuck Merritt - project owner and legacy LEED AP; Sam Greenblatt - project administrator and LEED Green Associate; Matt Freidman - project commissioner and associate at Enlightened Energy; Ryan Adell - project team member and LEED Green Associate; and Elizabeth Pascucci - project interior designer and WELL AP.

MECC is the owner and tenant, with Proud Moments ABA moving in as an additional tenant on October 15, 2023.

According to Merritt $150,000 was saved from updating the building’s HVAC ducting plan. And the energy modeling produced for the LEED project aspires to reduce the building’s energy consumption by 35%.