The transformation of the near-century old Monroe Shops streetcar maintenance barn, now the home of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police, is being honored by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) as the first publicly owned building listed on the National Register of Historic Places to achieve the LEED® Platinum Certification, the organization's highest recognition.
DART earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification by working closely during the renovation with the Texas Historical Commission, the Federal Transit Administration, and city of Dallas officials and staff to ensure that the renovations were performed in an environmentally sensitive way and at the same time consistent with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Preservation. Key consulting partners in the adaptive reuse included TRACK 3 (AguirreRoden/APM), outcomeCx of Henderson Engineering, URS, Phillips May, Journeyman Construction and BKM Total Office of Texas.
Commonly known as Monroe Shops, the former train maintenance facility was built in 1914 for the Texas Electric Railroad and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. It was remodeled, rebuilt and transformed into the police headquarters in March 2011.
The facility provides approximately 69,000 square feet of workspace for police personnel including three floors of modern offices, meeting rooms, showers, lockers and an exercise facility.
LEED Platinum is the highest environmental standard a project can earn and certifies that a building uses less energy, water and natural resources and creates less waste than a conventional building, according to the USGBC. There are four recognition levels: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. These correspond to the number of credits a project earns in five design categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality. The LEED program was established by USGBC in 2000.
