Escambia County’s Central Office Complex located at 3363 West Park Place off of Fairfield Drive in Pensacola is a 79,000 square foot Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold-certified building. The construction of the Central Office Complex was completed November of 2011. Escambia County received a $1.5 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which helped move the project forward with the LEED construction design that included the construction of a 33,160 square foot green roof, the largest in Florida, and pervious parking lot.

The green roof is designed to allow a layer of vegetation to grow on the roof, which serves two main purposes. First, the growth media and vegetation provide insulation which reduces heat transfer by up to 50 percent when compared to an Energy Star roof, contributing to an overall 22 percent reduction in energy usage. Second, the green roof and pervious parking lot decrease stormwater pollutants as they naturally treat stormwater through evapotranspiration by plants or groundwater treatment. The low impact design best management practices utilized in the construction of the Central Office Complex will be monitored for their efficiency at reducing stormwater pollution and increasing energy efficiency.

This study will serve as a demonstration for Florida builders and contractors who may be interested in incorporating these low impact designs into their projects.  It has been four years since the completion of Escambia County’s LEED certified Central Office Complex and the green roof is in full bloom this summer with plants that are native to Northwest Florida, which require very little irrigation and maintenance.