(Rockville, MD, Thursday, November 29, 2007) On Monday, December 3, 2007, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) will move to its new $48 million national office at 2200 Research Boulevard, Rockville, MD.
The office will be housed in a brand new five-story LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified green building for which ASHA broke ground in April 2006. When ASHA moves in next week, it will become the first 501(c) 6 association to have a green building in Maryland history. Currently, the building is tracking to be a Silver LEED green building, though it may ultimately achieve Gold LEED status.
The structure offers nearly 134,000 square feet of office space and sits on more than seven acres. The entire fifth floor is available for lease.
A presence in the Washington-area association community and Montgomery County for decades, ASHA has been repeatedly recognized for its work with local charitable organizations, heralded for its model telecommuting program, and often cited as an attractive place to work. The organization has 225 employees.
"This move makes smart business sense for ASHA and hence represents a big step toward better serving our more than 127,000 members," according to ASHA President Noma Anderson. "We are also very proud of the fact that our new national office building has been completed on time and on budget."
The building was designed by Boggs and Partners Architects. The base building was built by James G. Davis Construction Corporation and the interiors were built by Forrester Construction Company.
ASHA's new national office is expected to realize savings from its many environmentally friendly features, some of which include:
- A design that maximizes the amount of daylight into the building to reduce the need for lighting
- A system for collecting mechanical condensate water for irrigation
- Paints, carpets, and woods with low-emitting finishes
- Lavatory systems that reduce water usage
- Landscaping with drought resistant vegetation
- A HVAC system that, together with higher efficiency glass and lower energy light fixtures, will yield a 23% energy savings
- A white-colored roof that will reduce cooling costs by more than 50%
- A copy center with an exhaust system that will keep fumes from the rest of the building.
For more information on noise and hearing loss or other communication disorders, visit ASHA at www.asha.org or call 1-800-638-8255 (TALK).
