Reliable Plaza Green Features Include: • Solar photovoltaic array on the roof. • Solar water heating via rooftop panels. • Water collection cistern for irrigation. • Low-flow plumbing fixtures.
THE GREENEST BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO
• Raised flooring for efficient heating and cooling. • High-efficiency, daylight-sensitive lighting.
When the land under OUC’s former parking garage was required for the
• VOC-free (Volatile Organic Compound) carpet and paint.
Department of Transportation’s expansion
Customer Features The first floor offered one-stop service to all OUC customers. An expanded
of State Road 408, OUC evaluated its
residential service center provided an
options and made the decision to build
improved customer experience with eight
a new 110,000-square-foot customer
teller stations, three drive-through lanes
service and administration center and
and more convenient parking.
set the standard for sustainable buildings in Orlando. While this new green home was a major milestone for OUC, it was also a first for the
Commercial and industrial customers had everything they needed in the new Commercial Service Center, and local developers, builders and contractors
Central Florida community. Designed to
enjoyed a single point of contact through
meet the requirements for Leadership in
the Development Services Center.
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, Reliable Plaza earned
Reliable Plaza also featured an interactive conservation education center, located on
the title of “The Greenest Building in
the first floor near Customer Service. With
Downtown Orlando.” It was designed
a live link to the building’s conservation
to use about 28 percent less energy and
systems, the center’s touch screen gave
40 percent less water than similar buildings
customers real-time data on how Reliable
built to code. More than 12,000 customers visited
Plaza used — and saved — energy and water. The center also provided information
Reliable Plaza monthly to pay their utility
on green building ideas, conservation tips
bills, set up or change service, or learn more
and programs customers could employ
about energy and water conservation.
at home. On November 11, 2008, Reliable Plaza was dedicated in honor of Veteran’s Day and the men and women of OUC who served their country. The American flag was raised by a group of OUC Veterans.
A Florida Original: The mural at Reliable Plaza is based on a landscape by Highwaymen artist Harold Newton (1934-94). Historian Gary Monroe noted, “Newton stands alone having created the images of modern Florida that symbolized the state as the place to really be alive.” Page 58
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