08/05/09 – Blattner Corporate Headquarters is Second in Minnesota to Achieve LEED Platinum

MINNEAPOLIS, MN., August 5, 2009 — The Blattner Corporate Headquarters building, located in Avon, MN, is officially LEED Platinum Certified, making it the second building in the State of Minnesota to achieve this level. Platinum is the highest level of achievement under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED) program.

The Design/Build consultants for the project were Knutson Construction with URS Corporation, Architects and Engineers. Other team members included Studio Hive, Inc., Horwitz-NSI, and Parsons Electric. Completed in 2008, the building was designed to reflect the values and culture of the firm. Doug Jandro, President of Knutson stated, “As a renewable energy company, Blattner felt it was important to create a showpiece for sustainable design and construction and this facility is a testament to their leadership.”

Pursuing the Platinum level required numerous sustainable features such as restoring habitat, proper storm water design and alternative transportation. No irrigation was used for landscaping and innovative waste technologies were implemented to reduce water consumption inside the building. The use of wells, ground source heat pumps and ice storage as a source of heating and cooling to optimize energy use were significant innovations. In addition, the building uses green power, and receives more than 15 percent of its energy from onsite wind generation. More than 20% of the building materials are of recycled content and supplied within a 500-mile radius, and during construction more than 75% of construction waste was recycled. Interior finishes were carefully chosen to limit toxic emissions.