CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- - Optima Engineering, P.A. earned LEED(R) (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its South End office at 1927 South Tryon St. The LEED Platinum certification is the highest rating available, and Optima Engineering is the first to achieve this certification in the Charlotte area. LEED features include the use of rapidly renewable materials, such as bamboo flooring and reclaimed sorghum straw wood, as well as the use of skylights, electric daylight sensors and a highly efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning system. The building's location in a dense urban environment close to clients, light rail, and restaurants and retail also contributed to the platinum rating. In addition to meeting LEED standards, Optima Engineering's 16,000-square-foot office building features a rooftop solar photovoltaic system. The system produces electricity to sell to Duke Energy and non-profit NC GreenPower, making Optima Engineering a utility in North Carolina. "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."
