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John Daley ReportingMore and more buildings we live in, work in and play in are going green as architects and builders look to make their projects more environmentally friendly.
You could say there's a green revolution sweeping the US construction industry.
As evidence, you can find two prime examples right here in Salt Lake City. One massive downtown project just getting underway and the historic Fuller Paint Building.
The concrete classic located at 404 West 400 South was originally a warehouse built in 1922. Big-D Construction bought the building for its corporate offices and renovated it a couple of years ago. In the process, they reused or recycled construction materials, added energy effecient windows, heating and cooling which brings in and filters outdoor air, and cut an atrium through the center of the building to provide natural light.
By taking all of those measures on the 8 million dollar project, they won a much-coveted gold-level LEED certification, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It's the first bulding in Utah to achieve that standard.
The company's CEO says the building uses 20% less energy than if Big D hadn't taken those green steps.
Jack Livingood, CEO, Big-D Construction: "I think what you ultimately reap is a building that is more comfortable and a better building to work in for the life of your company and for the life of your business."
The construction company responsible for the massive City Creek Center project downtown says it will also attempt to follow high environmental standards. That's one reason why they dismantled, rather than imploded, the Inn at Temple Square and are reusing or recycling the concrete, brick and steel from the building. They say they're taking all the steps necessary and when the project is finished they too may seek LEED certification.
Employees at Big-D rave about what a pleasant place it is to work.
Julianne Olson, Corporate Trainer, Big-D Construction: "With this, the way the ventilation system is working and bringing in fresh air every night, I've just noticed that as a company we're much healthier. There's not as much sickness going around, there's not as much, you know, passing the flu bug."
Jack Livingood, CEO, Big-D Construction: "It's really catching on quite rapidly. It's really snowballing in Utah. It's snowballing across the United States. In Utah alone, I don't think a week goes by that we don't have a customer ask us about the LEED process."
The trend is clearly growing as companies like Citigroup, Toyota and Walmart jump on the green bandwagon. Two Major League Baseball parks in Minneapolis and Washington DC are poised to go green, and so is MGM Mirage's new $7 billion dollar project in Las Vegas.
