McKinney Green Building - McKinney, TX

 The McKinney Green Building in McKinney, TX is a  USGBC LEED - Platinum building.  We took a quick look around the outside of the building to observe some of the energy saving features.

The parking lot is paved entirely with permeable hardsuface brick pavers.  They conceal a large underground stormwater storage cistern which helps mitigate stormwater run-off into surrounding tributaries during heavy rains

The southern elevation features deep sunshades that also act as natural light reflectors allowing indirect natural light into the building while still shading interior spaces from direct sunlight.  This saves energy through reducing the need for electric light and cooling during the hot times of the year.

The western elevation features a different type of sunshade and natural light reflector.  Upper story windows are shaded by a trellis.  In the far right side of this photo you see part of one of the giant cisterns that is part of the rainwater harvesting system for this building.

The building has lots of bike racks for those who chose to use bicycles as an alternative form of transportation.  It is also a way to score an extra point toward LEED certification.

For more information this building check out the following links:
http://www.igreenbuild.com/cd_2876.aspx
http://www.hdrinc.com/portfolio/mckinney-green-building
http://www.andresconstruction.com/features/commercial/leed.swf