(SAVANNAH, GA) The new building for Park Place Outrea ch, Inc., formerly The Savannah Runaway Home, is scheduled for completion February, 2008.

(SAVANNAH, GA) The new building for Park Place Outrea ch, Inc., formerly The Savannah Runaway Home, is scheduled for completion February, 2008. Helping in the efforts is the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). The SCAD students took on the Park Place building as a project for an interior design course.

The $1.7 million building, located at 514 East Henry Street is certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a national standard for developing high performance sustainable buildings and is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. The certification means the building will have met the standards set by the USGBC. It consists of: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere Materials & Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.

The SCAD students had to do their interior d e sign work according to LEED standards. Their professor, Sam Cribbs, made sure they used products that were all environmentally friendly. The woodwork, furniture, fixtures, paint and floors are all LEED certified. The semester-long project often meant late nights, but the students stayed the course.

The idea to get SCAD involved came from Marolyn Overton, Vice President of the Board of Directors for Park Place.

“We needed their expertise in the interior design area,” says Overton.

“Plus, they went to the youth and asked for their input. We wanted the building to have a professional feel for the employees, yet fresh and young feel the kids, and they did just that. We couldn’t have asked for a better group to work with.”

Asking the SCAD students for their help was a move that played a key role in the completion of t he much needed new building. The current Park Place home is 100+ years old, which is too old and too small to accommodate the organization’s needs.

The new Park Place home will be one of the first not-for-profit LEED buildings in the United States. Such design and construction maximizes efficiency by conserving resources and using energy-efficient, cost-effective and low-maintenance products. Benefits of LEED certified buildings include reduced operating costs, healthier and therefore more productive occupants, conservation of natural resources and less waste sent to landfills.

J.T. Turner is the contractor and the arcitecht work is done by The Cowart Coleman Group. Many others, including SCAD, have also do na ted their services to make the building a reality.

Park Place provides emergency shelter and street outreach for adolescents ages 11 through 17 and their families. It is the only agency located within Chatham County that serves youth at no charge who are accepted without a referral to receive help. With 6000 square feet, the new shelter will accommodate our residents and give us valuable counseling space. . Park Place opened in 1984. There are approximately 15-30 youth residents served each month and up to 200 each year. For more information on Park Place, call (912) 234-4048.