Hershey Center for Applied Research and Buchart Horn, Inc. Receive Sustainable Site Award from the Green Building Association of Central Pennsylvania

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Jen Bannan
412-580-3675
jen@0to5.com

Award Recognizes Green Design in the Region: Buchart Horn, Inc. Honored for Architectural Planning and Design

HERSHEY, PA – April 16, 2009 –The Hershey Center for Applied Research (HCAR) announced today its site has been awarded the Sustainable Sites Award in the Third Annual Green Building Association of Central Pennsylvania (GBACPA) Design Awards Program. The GBACPA Annual Design Awards are given under the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building rating system (LEED®). The Sustainable Sites Award recognizes cost-effective and sustainable strategy implementation. The project design team for this site was Buchart Horn, accepting the award at the GBACPA ceremony Apr. 16, with more than 100 people in attendance.

The HCAR 165 acre parcel includes a restored stream, protection of the associated floodplain habitat, native vegetation enhancement, and extensive implementation of Stormwater Best Management Practices. Phase I included an 87,000 square foot building and associated site facilities. Site development included an approved Erosion and Sediment Control plan that conformed to state guidelines.

“This site design was a collaborative effort between HCAR/Hershey Trust Company and Buchart Horn,” said Karla S. Farrell, Senior Landscape Architect, Buchart Horn Inc.
“It was the vision of the Trust and their faith in our ability to create a special place that allowed us the freedom to incorporate our “out of the box” ideas and our desire to be stewards of the land, that generated this award winning sustainable site.”

“Our commitment to the region is about more than economic development,” said Laura Butcher, Executive Director of HCAR.  “It’s our intent to provide the region’s workforce with a more pleasant working environment and to have a positive impact on the region’s ecology. We’re pleased to have been involved in the hard work that resulted in this prestigious award.”

About the Hershey Center for Applied Research
Hershey Center for Applied Research (HCAR) provides resident organizations with state-of–the-art facilities and high-value business and research resources that enable growth escalation. In addition to its wet and dry lab facilities and office space in a campus-like setting in Hershey, PA, HCAR provides facilitated access to research expertise, especially in the areas of research discovery, development and commercialization; access to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine, a major research institution with amenities that include core facilities, clinical trial participation, researcher sponsorship and research advisers; and assistance in obtaining necessary business resources, like venture capital, human resources, including Penn State M.D.s and Ph.D.s, and access to business advisers. For more information, go to www.hersheyresearch.com.