HomeAway Achieves LEED Gold Certification for Commercial Interior Design

AUSTIN, Texas, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating its fifth anniversary and new headquarters, HomeAway, Inc. – the world's leading online vacation rental marketplace – today announced it has earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the interior of its headquarters.  

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HomeAway® is only the second company in Austin to have achieved LEED Gold for Commercial Interior Design and is the first mixed-use project recognized, providing an exceptional workplace environment that defines the company's goal to be one of Austin's best places to work.  

"HomeAway is built upon the appreciation of the irreplaceable qualities of home," says Brian Sharples, HomeAway co-founder and chief executive officer.  "This extends to the one home we all share – Earth – so we designed a building that embraces eco-friendly practices to reduce our carbon footprint and foster a healthy work environment and family."

LEED certification is the building industry's recognition of sustainability in human and environmental health, designating points in six categories:  Sustainable Site Development, Water Savings, Energy Efficiency, Materials and Resource Selection, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design.  Of the possible 39 total points, HomeAway, CTA Architects Engineers and its team of contractors collaborated to earn 34 points, enough to obtain the LEED Gold designation.

"As advocates of green building in Central Texas, it is exciting for us to see a leading edge national company like HomeAway embracing the Austin ideals of sustainable development," says Effie Brunson, U.S. Green Building Council Central Texas Chapter vice chair.  

Specifically, the new building offers these LEED-certified features:

Sustainable Site Development

• Conveniently located near seven public transportation routes and hike & bike trails; three gyms within quarter-mile radius; 32 bike storage lockers; showers and changing rooms to promote environmentally-friendly transportation and employee wellness

Water Savings

• High-performance, water-conserving fixtures in restrooms, which will save an estimated 234,000 gallons of water a year

Energy Efficiency

• Daylighting – through strategic space planning and the incorporation of large expanses of glass in interior office areas, natural lighting and outdoor views are maximized; control sensors automatically respond to daylight to adjust interior lighting levels and reduce the company's energy consumption
• At least 50 percent of HomeAway energy is generated by solar and wind power

Materials and Resource Selection

• Throughout construction, HomeAway recycled, salvaged and/or diverted from landfills more than 50 percent of debris generated from packing and construction
• Many architectural elements and much of the furniture were made from reclaimed wood
• Floor tiles in many rooms are partially made with plant materials and low-emitting adhesives
• 85 percent of countertop material is made of recycled bottles, stained glass and other "glass with a past"
• Workstations were manufactured using 46 percent recycled materials and are 97 percent recyclable
• Carpet is made of recycled materials from a factory powered by renewable landfill gas

Indoor Environmental Quality

• Used low-emitting paints, sealants, stains and glues
• Daylighting to maximize natural lighting provided for 75 percent of work spaces

Innovation and Design

• Uses only eco-friendly cleaning methods and products
• Provides educational signage about sustainability

The HomeAway headquarters occupies three floors and 51,000 square feet of a mixed used building in the Market District at Fifth and Lamar.  The first floor of the building features modern home decor store West Elm.  HomeAway was founded in February 2005 and currently employs nearly 600 employees throughout the world, with nearly 300 in Austin.

About HomeAway, Inc:

HomeAway, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is the worldwide leader in online vacation rentals, representing more than 475,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout 120 countries.  HomeAway offers an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations.  The company also makes it easy for vacation rental owners and property managers to advertise their properties and manage bookings online.  The HomeAway portfolio includes the leading vacation rental websites HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com in the United States; HomeAway.co.uk and OwnersDirect.co.uk in the United Kingdom; HomeAway.de in Germany; Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com in France; HomeAway.es in Spain; and AlugueTemporada.com.br in Brazil.  The company's portfolio also includes HomeAwayRealEstate.com, which offers unique real estate information that highlights a vacation rental's income potential and destination-specific characteristics.

In addition, HomeAway operates BedandBreakfast.com, the most comprehensive global site for finding bed-and-breakfast properties, providing travelers with another source for unique lodging alternatives to chain hotels.  For more information about HomeAway, please visit www.HomeAway.com.

SOURCE HomeAway, Inc.