St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 22, 2008... Already recognized for its role in delivering the St. Louis region's first two LEED Platinum certified commercial buildings, St. Louis-based Vertegy's award-winning sustainable design and consulting services have recently caught the attention of a development team embarking on a residential project that will take the firm's expertise overseas. The sustainable consulting firm today announced it has been tapped to assist with the sustainable design of a world-class student housing complex in Qatar, an Arab Emirate in Southwest Asia.

The project, Education City, is a 2,500-acre campus on the outskirts of Doha, Qatar. The development is already home to various research and education centers, as well as branch campuses of some of the world's leading universities, which include Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, Weill Cornell Medical College and Virginia Commonwealth University. Vertegy will be assisting Kansas City-based engineering firm Burns & McDonnell with the sustainable design for the two campuses that will accommodate separate housing for 600 male and 600 female students. Upon completion, the 12 buildings, which are tracking for LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, would yield the world's largest collection of platinum buildings in one location.

The facilities will consist of a combined 850,000 square feet of space. Each complex will include a cafeteria, gathering area, prayer room and walls that point to Mecca. The new housing will maximize energy efficiency and water use, utilizing wind turbines, photovoltaic cells and a biomass wall for filtering gray water. The students living in the complex will also benefit from wireless computer systems and smart-room technology, which allow residents to control temperature, lighting and music simply by entering the room.

"This is a very exciting project - Qatar Foundation is committed to building a state-of-the-art residential complex that incorporates sustainability best practices. Students will live in zero-waste residence halls where each day will provide a new lesson on how green savvy technology can help global citizens to live a responsible sustainability-focused life," according to Qatar Foundation Director of Campus and Residence Life, Kevin Konecny. "Through our sustainability-focused programs, we hope to help university students develop green lifestyle practices that will last a lifetime."

The project, which is expected to be completed in time for a September 2009 move-in date, will expand Vertegy's existing residential projects portfolio, which includes the Roberts Tower in downtown St. Louis and Enright Homes, a 26-home green subdivision in north St. Louis city.

"More important, however," notes Thomas Taylor, General Manager of Vertegy, "the magnitude of this project signals that owners and developers of large scale residential projects are increasingly recognizing that the sustainable design techniques and products widely deployed in commercial projects can also be used to create environmentally friendly housing of all types."

Founded in February 2005, Vertegy provides clients with design, procurement and construction consulting services for green and sustainable facilities.  One of the key ways Vertegy serves clients is by helping them gain certification for their projects from various nationally and internationally recognized certification bodies, such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which provides LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification. Vertegy - which is derived from combining the Latin root for green and strategy - is based in St. Louis at the new LEED Platinum-certified Alberici headquarters. For more information, call 314.733.2666 or visit http://www.vertegyconsultants.com/. 

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