Savannah-based sustainable development company Melaver, Inc. was responsiblefor first all-retail LEED shopping center in the nation, Abercorn Common
Tommy Linstroth of Melaver, Inc. will discuss “A New Look at Green Building” March 11 at the Association of Construction Distributors International Annual Shareholders’ Meeting to be held in Savannah.
The Association of Construction Distributors International members will also tour Abercorn Common, the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the nation. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council is the internationally-recognized standard for high performance, low water and energy use buildings awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Abercorn Common’s building design, white roof and high efficiency heating and cooling systems make it 30 percent more energy efficient than a typical shopping center. The water-efficient features reduced usage by 30 percent compared to most shopping centers. All irrigation uses rainwater that has been harvested off the roofs of the buildings and stored in a large cistern behind the center, saving 5 million gallons of water a year. Porous pavement in the parking lots, which allows water to naturally percolate into the ground, reduces stormwater runoff volumes by over 30 percent.
The more recent phase, Shops Six Hundred at Abercorn Common, includes a solar water heater and a vegetated “green” roof that provides insulation and storm water management.
Associated Construction Distributors International is a co-operative association of independently owned and locally operated distributors of specialty construction products and equipment.
Linstroth is the Head of Sustainable Initiatives for Melaver, Inc., a vertically integrated, sustainable real estate firm based in Savannah. He is the founder and president of the Savannah Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and is on the Board of Trustees of the Live Oak Public Libraries and the Georgia Conservation Voters. He is a regular speaker on sustainable development throughout the country and for Farmers Almanac TV. He is the co-author of “Local Action: A New Paradigm in Climate Change Policy.”
Melaver, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned business based in Savannah, Georgia. The sustainable real estate developer currently has eight LEED certified projects in their portfolio and developed one of the first LEED certified buildings in the U.S. which is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Melaver Inc. also developed the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the country, Abercorn Common, including the first LEED McDonald’s worldwide.
Contact: (912) 236-0781
www.melaver.com
For more information about Associated Construction Distributors International visit www.acdi.net