Optima Engineering, P.A. earned Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its South End office at 1927 South Tryon St. The Platinum LEED rating for commercial interiors is the highest rating available, and Optima Engineering is the first to achieve this designation in the Charlotte area.
 
Some of the features of the office which helped it to achieve the Platinum rating include the use of rapidly renewable materials (bamboo flooring, reclaimed sorghum straw wood), skylights with daylighting sensors for the lighting, a dense urban location close to clients, light rail, and restaurants and retail, and a highly efficient HVAC system
 
In addition to meeting LEED standards, Optima Engineering’s 16,000-square-foot office building features a rooftop solar photovoltaic system, which produces electricity that is sold to Duke Energy. The building also has a solar thermal system, which provides free hot water for all of the tenants at 1927 South Tryon.
 
“We strongly believe that renewable energy can play a part in every building – new and existing,” Optima Engineering President Keith Pehl said. “Not only do we engineer such systems for others, but we also utilize their potential ourselves.”
 
LEED points are awarded in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. U.S. Green Building Council ratings include certified, silver, gold and platinum. With fewer than 150 platinum projects in the country, Optima Engineering is part of an elite group.