e2 restaurant in uptown Charlotte earns LEED certification

Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse's new Charlotte eatery, e2, has become the first Charlotte restaurant to be LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environment Design).

The restaurant, located on Levine Avenue of the Arts in uptown, was judged on the sustainability of its site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere and innovation in design.

"Earning LEED certification shows we're serious about being a sustainable, environmentally focused and local farmer-friendly restaurant," Lagasse said in a statement. "By committing ourselves to LEED principals, we're providing our customers a promise of fresh, high-quality food and sustainable operations."

More commercial developments are seeking LEED status these days.

Local projects that have received LEED certification include Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne, 1 Bank of America Center, Crescent Resources' Circle apartment complexes in South End and South Park and WESCO Distribution Inc.'s Charlotte warehouse.

To plan and build the restaurant, e2 partnered with Wells Fargo, Philadelphia architecture firm Floss Barber and LEED certification expert tvsdesign, along with local firms Balfour Beatty, Barrett Woodyard & Associates, Tobin Starr + Partners and Childress Klein.