ComEd training center earns LEED certification

CHICAGO — ComEd has been awarded LEED Gold green building certification for its Chicago Training Center building that opened last year.

The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council is the foremost program for design, construction and operation of green buildings.

The USGBC awarded LEED Gold certification to the CTC for its use of brownfield development site, use of recycled and regional materials and potential savings garnered from mechanical and electrical systems. In addition, ComEd was rewarded for the efficient use of water, the innovative design of the building and its access to alternative/public transportation.

“We celebrated the opening of the Chicago Training Center just a year ago and now it is the first of our facilities to receive the LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. This certification aligns with the important role the training center serves, which is to prepare tomorrow's workforce to manage our modernized smart grid that is delivering a cleaner, more reliable and efficient energy future to our customers and communities,” said Anne Pramaggiore, ComEd president and CEO.

The CTC, which was inaugurated at a grand opening ceremony attended by Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other city leaders last year, is specially designed to educate and train the workforce of the future. The center features 50,000 square feet of classroom and indoor training space, a 240,000-square-foot outside training yard and a 200-seat auditorium. The facility, located in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, also enables ComEd to engage the community in creative and meaningful ways such as through a partnership with After School Matters to expose Chicago high school students to skills needed to work in the construction trades. ComEd also commissioned art for the CTC from artists in Project Onward, a program at the Bridgeport Arts and Cultural Center that supports the professional development of artists with exceptional talents and challenges, ranging from autism to mental illness, and provides these artists with workspace, materials and professional guidance.