AgGeorgia Farm Credit

Georgia Peanut Commission Holds Ribbon Cuttingand Open House for New HeadquartersThe Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC)board of directors concluded the commission’s50th anniversary by holding the official ribboncutting ceremony and open house at the newheadquarters in Tifton, Ga., on July 31. Thenew headquarters is located off Interstate 75in Tifton at exit 63B.“We are proud of the new energyefficient headquarters and the opportunitiesthat exist to promote peanuts to millions ofconsumers traveling through Georgia,” saysDonald Chase, GPC Building Committeechairman and peanut farmer from Oglethorpe,Ga. “The principles of forward thinking in thedesign of the new headquarters is a testamentto the forward thinking of farmers in thepeanut industry here in Georgia.”The new headquarters, designed byCadmus Design-Build, will be the firstnet-zero energy building for state governmentin Georgia. Cadmus Design-Build providesarchitectural design and constructionmanagement in the Master Builder traditiontowards net-zero energy, environmentalsustainability and economic feasibility goals.These high performance standards are metthrough a holistic approach to energy andwater efficiency, conservation, environmentalimpacts and waste management as part ofdesign, development, construction andongoing building maintenance and operations.The new headquarters was designedand built to meet criteria for LEEDCertification at a Platinum Level with acombination of systems which providesynergies that result in enhanced performanceoverall. The site selection, development,building placement, design,engineering and orientation all contributeto low-impact and high performance results.Beyond building to LEED Certificationstandards, the new headquarters has fullyintegrated alternative/renewable energysystems that enhance performance capabilitiestowards the near- and net-zero energy goals.The new building’s integrated systemsinclude both passive and active geothermalsystems, passive solar architectural design andengineering, solar photovoltaic systems, solarthermal systems, natural/daylight harvestingsystems, rain and condensate harvesting,Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black and Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall, joins the Georgia Peanut Commission board members forthe ribbon cutting at the new building.AgGeorgia.4.Autumn 2012