Preserving the Environment a Top Priority at Visteon Village VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Preserving and enhancing the environment was a top priority for the designers and developers of Visteon Village. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040806/DEF015-c http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040806/DEF016 http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001201/DEF008LOGO ) "It was extremely important to us to protect the land and preserve our natural resources during development and construction," says Mike Johnston, Visteon president and chief executive officer. "In addition, we've embraced the concept that great ideas and creative thought often take place outside of a traditional office setting. Combining these two objectives to create an environmentally friendly, state-of-the-art facility with a nature trail, a lake and outdoor meeting spaces made perfect sense." In developing the Village, Visteon adhered to two distinct, yet intertwined missions: -- Minimize the environmental impact of building the Village by adopting state-of-the-art technologies, and reusing and recycling as many materials as possible. -- Create an atmosphere that encourages creativity, collaboration and innovation; one that changes the way people work. The 265-acre site, previously an abandoned quarry, was transformed into seven buildings which house customer and product innovation centers, offices and laboratories, a central energy plant and the "Village Center," that sits at the heart of Visteon Village. The campus location is only eight miles from the geographic center of Visteon's Southeast Michigan employee base. "We're pleased that we were able to turn this abandoned site into a beautiful location for Visteon Village," says Johnston. "It's a 'win-win' for Visteon and the people of Van Buren Township." Setting high standards From the beginning, Visteon decided to use the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines for the development of Visteon Village. LEED provides a comprehensive structure and framework for achieving sustainability goals, based on industry-accepted scientific standards. It emphasizes high quality solutions for sustainable site development, energy efficiency, water savings, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Visteon Village is expected to be LEED certified in 2005. Developers focused attention on the construction process itself to ensure that it met the strict LEED criteria. Building with the environment in mind The buildings of Visteon Village feature up to 75 percent recycled material content by weight. A light-colored, high-reflectance roofing surface minimizes heat gain and reduces energy costs. The air handling units are hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-free, and feed an underfloor air distribution system that allows for individual user control of temperature and airflow rate throughout the office space. Developers used non-volatile organic compound (VOC) or low-VOC paints and materials throughout the interiors and made extensive use of day lighting in the office spaces. The goal was to place all employees working in the office areas within 30 feet of a window, so they can enjoy the natural light and views. More than 75,000 tons of recycled concrete, including some recovered on-site, were used as a base for parking lot and street construction. An additional 410,000-cubic-yards of earth found on the property were reused at the site instead of being taken to a landfill. Another 168,000-cubic-yards of rubble discovered on-site were reused along the lakeshore. Combining beauty with environmental efficiency Visteon Village features a 37-acre man-made lake, which was part of the previous quarry site and cleaned up by Visteon. In addition to adding charm and beauty to the site, the lake is used for the buildings' cooling system. An innovative, non-contact water flow system allows for efficient cooling without affecting the chemical makeup of the water. Discharge temperatures will be monitored to ensure that they remain at a level suitable for the protection of the lake and its inhabitants. A treatment device also captures 90 percent of the storm water running off the surfaces of the developed site, removes sediment and other impurities, and channels the water back into the lake. In addition, the lake water is used for irrigation near the lake and for the building fire-protection systems. Visteon will dedicate a major portion of the wetland area on the site as a natural easement in perpetuity. In total, less than 30 percent of the land will be transformed into developed acreage, which includes all buildings, roads and parking. The company has partnered with Van Buren Township to develop fisheries and a "wetland fringe" area along the lakeshore. Visteon also planted 5,000 trees, as well as flowers and other landscaping to enhance the beauty and environment of the site. Putting employees in touch with nature Employees will be encouraged to conduct business meetings outdoors or walk the nature trail to brainstorm or solve work-related challenges. The nature trail is nearly six feet wide and 4,350 feet in length with 700 feet in the wetland area. Visteon built elevated boardwalks over wetland areas along the trail to preserve the space and its inhabitants. An outdoor eating area will also provide employees a place to gather and collaborate. Located approximately 25 miles west of Detroit, Visteon Village is two miles north of the I-275 and I-94 interchange, bounded by I-275 on the west, Ecorse Road on the north and Tyler Road on the south. Visteon Corporation is a leading full-service supplier that delivers consumer-driven technology solutions to automotive manufacturers worldwide and through multiple channels within the global automotive aftermarket. Visteon has approximately 72,000 employees and a global delivery system of more than 200 technical, manufacturing, sales and service facilities located in 25 countries. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040806/DEF015-c http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040806/DEF016 http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001201/DEF008LOGO DATASOURCE: Visteon Corporation CONTACT: Kim Welch, +1-313-755-3537, , or Melinda Czarnecki, +1-313-755-5448, , both of Visteon Corporation Web site: http://www.visteon.com/

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