ST. LOUIS, March 30, 2007… St. Louis-based Vertegy, a sustainability-consulting firm known for its award-winning design and consulting services, added Aquascape Designs, Inc. to its list of landmark Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified projects. With the aid of Vertegy, the corporate headquarters and distribution facility, located on Kautz Road in St. Charles, Ill., has earned silver certification for its commitment to sustainable design and operation.

Aquascape Designs, Inc. is the largest wholesale manufacturer and supplier of its own patented pond filtration system and the leading manufacturer of ready-to-assemble pond kits. The company’s 162,750 square-foot headquarters building is projected to be one of the most technologically and environmentally advanced buildings in North America. All construction and demolition debris, including wood, cardboard, metal, and concrete were recycled to the fullest extent possible. Storm water management and energy conservation techniques, as well as an array of sustainable design elements, were also among the environmental highlights of this project. More specifically, these include the:

• Inclusion of a sloping grass roof that features a prairie meadow and aids in insulating and cooling the building.
• Restoration or construction of wetlands designed to enhance the site.
• Development of an extensive storm water conveyance system intended to improve the quality of any eventual runoff from the site and remediate water entering the site from neighboring properties.
• Planting of native plant species in the landscape to reduce the need for irrigation.
• Installation of high-albedo roofing material on surfaces not covered by vegetative plantings to reduce the heat island effect usually attributed to roof surfaces.
• Installation of full cutoff light fixtures throughout the site to reduce light pollution.
• Integration of low-flow plumbing fixtures to achieve superior water reduction.

Vertegy’s other notable LEED-certified projects include the Alberici Headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., which earned a Platinum certification with 60 points, the highest credit level awarded to date worldwide by the USGBC; the Security Building in downtown St. Louis, one of the few LEED-registered buildings on the National Registry of Historic Buildings; St. Louis Community College’s new West County Campus; Centocor Biologics’ 46,000 square-foot office building, and the William A. Kerr Foundation offices, all in St. Louis. The firm also has provided services for projects in other parts of the country, including Northland Pines High School in Eagle River, Wis., Affinity Health Systems office in Little Chute, Wis., and the Missouri Hall renovation at Columbia College in Columbia, Mo.

Founded in February 2005, Vertegy provides clients with design, procurement and construction consulting services for green and sustainable facilities.  One of the key ways Vertegy serves clients is by helping them gain certification for their projects from various nationally and internationally recognized certification bodies, such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which provides LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification. Vertegy — which is derived from combining the Latin root for green and strategy — is based in St. Louis at the new LEED Platinum-certified Alberici headquarters. For more information, call 314.733.2666 or visit www.vertegyconsultants.com.