FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Circle R Media’s newly-launched video, film and audio production facility is the first structure of its kind in Texas and nationwide to earn the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.
The LEED program is a third-party certification system established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The USGBC program encourages strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Currently, Circle R Media is the first and only production facility in Texas and nationwide to receive the USGBC Silver certification.
“We’re proud to play a part in protecting the D/FW Metroplex’s environment by achieving LEED Silver certification,” said Circle R Media Chairman Mark Roberts. “Our new, 48,000-square-foot facility incorporates not only cutting-edge video production, animation and graphics capabilities, but has an environmentally responsible design that demonstrates our concern for the surrounding community.”
The Circle R Media facility was designed by the nationally recognized Russ Berger Design Group, which has created technical environments for literally thousands of leading recording, broadcast and creative production facilities throughout the world.
“Our goal was to design a functional and aesthetically pleasing facility, while minimizing the environmental impact,” said the company’s president, Russ Berger. “A variety of sustainable strategies were incorporated into the fully integrated building system design. For example, nearly half of all construction materials were manufactured locally, and we applied construction waste management practices that achieved a recycling rate of more than 95 percent.
“The new facility also uses low-flow water fixtures that result in a near-50 percent reduction in water consumption compared to a standard building,” Berger added. “Efficient ventilation systems boost indoor air quality and human comfort levels, as does the maximum use of daylight from windows and environmentally responsible finishing materials. Energy conservation is enhanced by low power lighting design and occupancy sensors.”
Video and audio control rooms and sound booths in the new Circle R Media facility feature floors made from bamboo harvested from environmentally-managed forests. High-efficiency radiant heating and cooling systems reduce energy consumption by more than 40 percent. There are no CFC-based refrigerants used in the cooling system, as well as no HCFCs and halons, which deplete the earth’s ozone layer.
In addition to incorporating recycled content and locally supplied materials, the facility uses low-VOC (volatile organic compound)-emitting adhesives, sealants, paints, carpets and wood materials, and a carbon dioxide monitoring system. The facility is also innovative in its use of transparent sun screens, which reduce solar heat gain by half. Concrete floor slabs employ radiant heating, and on the roof, light-colored ballast materials help mitigate the building’s “heat island” effects.
A few of the environmentally responsible strategies employed in the facility’s construction include:
• Resource reuse—materials selected for their recycled content, including both post-consumer and post-industrial products;
• Paints and millwork substrates with low VOC emissions;
• Woods from environmentally managed forests (Forest Stewardship Council-certified products);
• Maximized interior day lighting through use of large storefront windows and borrowed light;
• Regional materials—products extracted, harvested, recovered, or manufactured within 500 miles of project site;
• Finish materials such as bamboo flooring and carpeting with high-recycled content;
• Acoustical treatments utilizing fabrics woven from recycled polyester, and formaldehyde-free recycled cotton absorptive core material;
• Energy-efficient lighting fixtures controlled by a facility-wide energy management system;
• HVAC system equipment designed to minimize CFCs, which reduces ozone depletion;
• Automated controls for airflow, temperature and lighting, which reduces waste from conditioning and lighting unoccupied spaces;
• On-site collection and storage of recyclables.
About Circle R Media
Circle R Media (CRM) is a new, 48,000-square-foot video, film and audio production facility located in Fort Worth, Texas. Along with three spacious sound stages, each large enough for staging television/film productions, the CRM facility sports the newest animation, motion capture and 4-D design and production capabilities. It also offers CRM’s clients enhanced capacity for national television spot production. The CRM facility is located at 300 RadioShack Circle, Fort Worth, Texas 76102-1964. For more information, please call 1-866-865-5448, or visit www.circlermedia.com
About Russ Berger Design Group, Inc.
Russ Berger Design Group, Inc. (RBDG) is a design and consulting firm specializing in recording and broadcast studio design and planning; architecture, interior design and space planning; architectural acoustics; noise and vibration control; corporate production, media and entertainment facilities; private theater and listening spaces; and technical systems coordination. RBDG is located at 4006 Belt Line Rd., Suite 160, Addison, TX 75001. For more information, please call 972-661-5222, or visit www.rbdg.com.
