Building Green at DNR - Northeast Region Headquarters

The Northeast Region Headquarters in Green Bay, built in 2005, is Wisconsin's first green state office building to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Sustainability & Energy Efficiency (SE²) Leadership Conference sponsored by the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance selected the regional building for a 2006 SE² Award of Merit.

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When the building for the Northeast Regional Headquarters in Green Bay was first proposed in 2000, then-DNR secretary George Meyer indicated to the Department of Administration (DOA) DNR's intent to construct it with strong sustainable building principles in mind. DOA agreed to work with DNR to help the project succeed in its goals and subsequently the agencies jointly took on the new building as a green building demonstration project.

Recognized for its minimal "footprint" on the landscape, the 34,560 square-foot building houses up to 156 people. Designed as a three-level structure and built on a slope, the building materials are highly energy efficient, with energy savings at +50% better than a typical code compliant building. This reduces the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' (WDNR) operation and maintenance costs greatly, with an approximate payback of only 2.8 years.

The designer and contractors focused on five main areas to realize the goal of creating a sustainable structure: making the best use of the building site; incorporating natural light; minimizing, reusing, or recycling construction waste; selecting appropriate materials to construct the building and outfit the interior; and using smart energy sources for efficient heating and cooling. Here's how it was done.

Attractive and Functional Site Design

Even the parking lot received careful scrutiny on this project. Combining the entrance road and staff parking area into one roadway resulted in less paved surface and less stormwater runoff. All runoff flows toward the center rain garden, where mesic prairie plants filter and absorb it. Excess water drains slowly toward a pond, solids settle, and eventually the naturally cleaned overflow water enters Lancaster Brook north of the building.

The view to the north is spectacular and will only get better. In a few years when the recently planted native prairie is fully established, the building site and the rest of the property will blend into a succession of vegetation from prairie to wetland to mature forest with trails linking the WDNR property to the existing trail network along the Lancaster Brook Greenway. Within walking distance directly to the east, the Village Center of Howard will eventually take shape, with a mix of medium- and high-density neighborhoods, commercial anchors, parks, and greenways.

Daylighting

"Cool daylighting™" is the concept of using daylight as the primary daytime illuminant in a room or building with the goal of reducing the need for electric lighting while simultaneously reducing the need for space cooling. The narrow three-story building is built on a slope with its long axis running east-west, maximizing southern and northern exposure, minimizing its footprint on the site, and providing ample opportunity for large windows to bring natural daylight far into the interior of the building. Along the structure's two-story south side, a combination of interior light shelves, exterior overhangs, and a landscape trellis reduce glare and heat gain in the interior. Lights dim and brighten as sunshine streams in through large, almost floor-to-ceiling windows as daylight sensors constantly monitor the amount of natural light and adjust the lights accordingly.

Recycling Construction Waste

Green building aims to minimize construction waste. Our strict goal in this project was to divert at least 75 percent of waste material by weight from landfills through reuse, salvaging, or recycling. The construction manager (Boldt Company of Appleton) was directed to significantly reduce the volume of landfill waste and simultaneously feed local recycling businesses. Boldt completed a Construction Waste Plan tailored to the site, the building, and local recycling opportunities. At the end of construction, the company diverted 85 percent of waste (237 tons) from area landfills at a disposal cost savings of $3,555. read more...

Using Recycled Materials

Recycled or reused materials were incorporated in the building and most were obtained locally, including furniture refurbished by Recycled Office Environments of Stevens Point, UltraTouch natural cotton insulation made of recycled old blue jeans, Woodstalk™ cabinetry and floorboards made of post-consumer wheat straw fiber, rotary-cut birch veneer doors, concrete mixed with incinerator ash, a waterless urinal, and carpet squares made with 54 percent recycled content from Interface, Inc. The striking wooden canopy over the entire upper floor is comprised of twenty-one 60-foot laminated wood trusses and roof decking. read more...

Indoor Air and Energy

High efficiency air filtration and a carbon monoxide monitoring system help maintain indoor air quality. Integrated building management and electrical submetering continuously monitor energy consumption. In a cooperative venture with our local utility provider, Wisconsin Public Service, a monitor in the lobby displays energy savings and information about building design for walk-in customers. Recent calculations show the building is easily achieving goals of meeting an Energy Star rating of 85 or better.

The WDNR building is also the largest commercial customer in northeast Wisconsin purchasing renewable energy through the electric utility's NatureWise® program. As part of the LEED certification, we are purchasing about half our total electrical needs from NatureWise® for two years. Energy efficiency here is so high Governor Doyle chose the building as the site to sign Executive Order #132 (Exit DNR), which sets goals for holding energy use in state-owned facilities to a minimum. And in January 2005, Berners-Schober Associates received the first Governor's Award for Sustainable Design and Construction, recognizing its exemplary work on this state office building.

More Awards

• 2006 Wisconsin Builder "Top 20 Projects"
• 2005 Midwest Construction "Best of 2005 Award of Merit"
• 2005 Governor's Award for "Excellence in Sustainable Design & Construction"
• 2005 Brown County Business Recycling Award for Innovation [exit DNR]
• 2005 American General Contractors "Build Wisconsin" Award
• 2006 Sustainability and Energy Efficiency (SE²) Leadership Award (Exit DNR)

See also:

Northeast Region Headquarters Building overview brochure [PDF 1032KB]

U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC) (Exit DNR)

USGBC Case Study (Exit DNR)

Wisconsin Green Building Alliance Case Study [exit DNR]

Daylighting Collaborative (Exit DNR)