TVS & SOUTHFACE: A NATURAL COLLABORATION

Sustainable designers, environmental leaders team to create new commercial resource center in Atlanta

Atlanta, March 14, 2003

Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates (TVS), a leading architecture firm practicing sustainable design, and Southface Energy Institute, a nationally recognized educator on sustainable building and community design, have announced a newly formed partnership. The two have joined forces to collaborate on a new commercial addition to Southface's Energy and Environmental Resource Center in midtown Atlanta, at 241 Pine Street.

TVS will act as the Architectural Owners Representative, providing consulting to Southface throughout the new building's entire process-planning, design and construction. Working as TVS' sustainability consultants are Holley Henderson, accredited UGSBC LEED™ 2.0 professional, and Architect Bill Abballe, former American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee On the Environment chair and AIA Atlanta board member.

"This facility will serve to move green design from a trend to a standard," said Henderson. "Sustainable design is at the top of our agenda and we are continually striving to make it a fundamental element of commercial building design across the United States and the world. Southface is a leader in innovative environmental design and we are looking forward to partnering with them on this groundbreaking project."

Southface has decided to expand its resource center to include more examples of sustainable commercial building technologies. The building will demonstrate use of the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) rating system to create an efficient, earth-friendly building. One of the nation's four USGBC regional affiliates, Southface aims to work directly with the USGBC to enhance LEED™ as a valuable tool for commercial office building owners and their design and construction teams.

The new facility will include:

• Indoor/outdoor classroom	• Conference facilitie
• Office space	• Environmental Product displays

Using LEED principles in building design as well as operation and maintenance, the commercial building will set an example and be a demonstration showpiece that includes:

• Energy performance monitoring	• Rainwater harvesting and reuse
• Materials and resource conservation	• Construction waste management
• Day-lighting	• Healthy building design
• Sustainable site management	• Alternative transportation

"As AIA Firm of the Year, TVS will be a valuable partner for Southface, furthering the effort to transform the marketplace for sustainable building design," said Dennis Creech, executive director of the Southface Energy Institute.

Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates, Inc. (TVS), recipient of the National AIA 2002 Architecture Firm Award, is a leading architectural design firm with more than 30 years of proven experience in planning, architecture and interior design. With offices in Atlanta and Chicago, the firm's unique collaboration expertise produces inspired designs for a wide variety of clients. Well known as the experts in the design of convention center and public assembly space, TVS also offers services to the retail, office workplace, interiors, hospitality and entertainment markets. Additional information on TVS can be found at www.tvsa.com.

Southface Energy Institute promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance. Since 1978, Southface, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, has earned a national reputation in energy, building science and environmentally sustainable design. Southface has received awards for excellence from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Georgia and American Institute of Architects. Visit www.southface.org for more information.

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