LEED Gold Certification Awarded to Great River Energy's Office Building in North Dakota

Great River Energy announced today that its Bismarck office building has been awarded the Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) core & shell designation by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

This award is the second highest designation available to buildings that demonstrate energy efficiency and sustainability.

The 30,000 square foot building – new in 2008 – is the first in North Dakota to receive the Gold LEED certification – the highest designation thus far for any building in North Dakota. Only two other buildings have the LEED designation in North Dakota – a “Certified” building owned by the NDSU Development Foundation in Fargo, and a “Silver” building – the Turtle Mountain High School in Belcourt.

“We are very excited to see companies such as Great River Energy take the lead in sustainable building in North Dakota. The USGBC and its mission have taken hold in our state with the number of LEED registered projects and LEED accredited professionals increasing every year here. Thanks to Great River Energy for achieving such a high level of certification and setting the standard!” said Rebecca Molldrem, AIA, LEED AP, chairperson of U.S. Green Building Council North Dakota organizing chapter, Fargo, N. Dak.

The Great River Energy building received 36 LEED points, two more than required to achieve Gold certification for LEED core & shell. The building earned points for water use reduction, use of green power and energy efficiency.

Points were also awarded for use of fly ash in the building’s concrete structure and other materials. The fly ash, a byproduct left over after coal is used to generate electricity, came from Coal Creek Station, a Great River Energy power plant.

“The use of fly ash is beneficial in many ways. It allows us to utilize a local product and to recycle a product produced at a coal-based power plant. It also adds significant value to building materials through its use to make a high performance concrete,” said Al Christianson, manager, business development and North Dakota governmental affairs, Bismarck.

Additional points were earned for showcasing a green education center, use of low-emitting construction materials and many other sustainable attributes – such as diverting over 90 percent of on-site generated construction waste from going to a landfill. Also, about 20 percent of the building materials and/or products were manufactured within 500 miles of the project site.

The building is expected to use about 36 percent less electricity and 35 percent less water than a traditional office building.

Architectural firm Perkins & Will led the design team, and Northwest Contracting was the general contractor on the project.

Great River Energy uses the building as a satellite office to help service its operations in North Dakota including Coal Creek Station, Stanton Station, Spiritwood Station and the transmission division. The company’s headquarters are in Maple Grove, Minnesota, at a LEED platinum certified building.

“As a generation and transmission cooperative, one of our practices is to promote conservation and energy efficiency. Our two LEED certified buildings help us showcase the latest in energy efficiency and sustainable features, and allow us to practice what we believe in as a cooperative,” said Mike Finley, director, business operations, Great River Energy.

Other tenants in the Bismarck office building include Tvenge Architects & Planners, the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation and United Pulse Trading.

Source: http://www.greatriverenergy.com/