ECA is proud to announce the opening of the John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center!

The Training Center is housed in an abandoned factory in Northern Philadelphia where Civil War uniforms were once made. ECA has renovated 18,000 sq. ft of the warehouse to the LEED Gold Standard to serve as a state of the art training center for green jobs. We offer training for people of all backgrounds and level of experience - from weatherization providers looking for national certifications and upgraded training, to new workers looking to build a new career.

Before:

After:

The Renovation of the Training Center

The Green Jobs Training Center embodies the green building principles that are taught there! The Training Center has been renovated to include the following "green features":

• R38 SPF spray foam insulated roof that has a white coating that complies with LEED reflectivity guidelines
• R15 insulated drywall panels on exterior walls using BASF neoguard dense foam laminated to the drywall
• Low-e, casement windows to reduce heat loss
• Rain water harvesting system for flushing toilets. The rain water will also be piped to a hose bib for washing trucks.
• All low-wattage fluorescent light fixtures installed to use less than one watt of electrical power per square foot to illuminate the classrooms and training area.
• Light fixtures use dimmable switches with motion detectors to save energy along with day light sensors to reduce electrical consumption
• Solar Thermal hot water heating for all vanity sinks and kitchen sink in cafeteria and for solar radiant heating of the first floor office space.
• Solar PV system will to be installed on the roof
• HVAC system that exceeds ASHRAE requirements for ventilation and energy-savings
• Low VOC materials have been used for interior construction
• Low water consumption urinals and dual-flush toilets installed
• Construction materials recycled.
• Exterior window awnings being installed to reduce heat load during the summer
• Energy Star Appliances used
• Recycling program set up to process waste materials from center operation
• FSC certified cabinets installed along with concrete counter top with recycled glass imbedded in the top
• 90% recycled content in drywall
• 70% recycled steel used in the steel framing studs
• No wood materials with urea formaldehyde-based adhesives
• Low VOC paints and wood finishes used
• LEED approved floor finishes used
• Almost all building materials were manufactured in Pennsylvania!