News
August 8, 2009
Green elements get green light in Ieuter project
The new Ieuter Insurance headquarters going up at 414 Townsend St. is going for the green. Energy-efficient elements outlined in the building’s site plan, which goes for its final approval before the Midland City Council on Monday night, include a bike rack, employee showers and changing rooms, low-flow toilets and motion-triggered occupancy sensor lights.
Green design elements and materials are easy to incorporate and can be integrated into both residential and commercial buildings, according to the Ieuter team at Three Rivers Corp., the project’s designers and contractors. “We design buildings with LEED® principles in mind,” said Randy Sherman, Three Rivers vice president of design.
LEED®, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Build Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, provides a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Points are awarded for specific green design and construction choices, and projects are rated based on point total, with platinum being the highest.
Most clients can’t afford platinum buildings, but they can afford many of the items Cal Ieuter chose to include, according to Sherman. “Those are relatively inexpensive. For the bigger ticket items, such as heating and mechanical systems, the initial outlay can be pricey, but there’s a real return on investment,” Sherman said. “Geothermal systems are becoming more popular.” Kristin Riddle, the project architect who has twice presented the Ieuter site plan before the Midland City Planning Commission, said that green building choices are now a routine part of every client consultation.
“We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t educate clients,” Riddle said. “Green building covers things like managing and recycling construction waste, building with indigenous materials and bringing those materials from no farther than 500 miles away.” Riddle added that LEED® credits can be earned from choosing low-VOC (Volatile Organic Chemicals) paints and carpeting. “That feeds into employee wellness once the building is occupied,” Riddle said.
Sherman pointed to the Ieuter Building as “the most significant project in the downtown for some time, so the community is looking closely.” “Some clients do say no (to green building) but Cal is very excited,” Sherman said. “He could have chosen a brownfield development, but he was adamant about staying downtown.” The 16,000-square-foot, twostory building is scheduled to break ground before the end of the year.
Source: Cathy Nelson Price. "Green elements get green light in Ieuter project" Midland Daily News 08 Aug. 2009: A3.