Going Green...

Green buildings are the result of a design method that focuses on increased efficiency and reduced impact on the environment throughout the entire life cycle of the building. Employing some green building methods into a project and having a certified green building from LEED are very different things. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) provides standards which sets a benchmark for developers, engineers and architects. Buildings that achieve a certification have to meet stringent tests designed to address:

1) Sustainability of the Site

2) Water Efficiency

3) Energy

4) Materials and Resources

5) Indoor Environment Quality

6 Innovation / Design

Green buildings have largely been a novelty here in the Omaha metro with less than a handful of LEED certified commercial buildings in the area. Most of the LEED certified buildings are government buildings like the Department of Homeland Security building (Gold), the Air Force Weather Agency (Gold), and the Carl T Curtis Midwest Headquarters (Gold).

Note that there are dozens of LEED registered buildings in the area that have not yet met the certification standards for a Certified (26-32 Points), Silver (33-38 Points), Gold (39-51 Points) or Platinum (52+ Points).

Example - Carl T Curtis Regional Headquarters Points

The picture to the right is of the Carl T Curtis building which is home to the National Park Service and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Vistor's Center.

The 68,000 sq. foot 3 story building was completed in 2004 and was one of the first green buildings in the Midwest.

Project Overview

Two major green buildings have been recently announced for the new Aksarben Village project. Aksarben Village is a mixed used development south of UNO on 67th and Center.

Blue Cross Blue Shield has plans to lease a new 10 story 315,000 sq. foot office building which is to be LEED certified Silver. The building will be in the middle of the office district in Aksarben Village. Once complete, Aksarben Village is to have about 900,000 sq. feet of office space.

Lincoln Journal Star Article

Following right behind BCBS was the announcement of DLR’s new 3 story 39,000 square foot building at 6457 Frances Street in the middle of the Aksarben Development. The building will provide employees with outdoor workspaces, a green roof, and landscaping using native plants. DLR has plans for achieving a gold level certification from LEED.

Omaha.com Article

TD Ameritrade found themselves in a difficult situation at their new home in Old Mill. TD has been committed to moving towards utilizing green building methods in the design of their new headquarters. The campus size is relatively limited and meeting the high point requirements to achieve LEED Platinum certification means having half the site dedicated to green space. As a result, the company has decided to move forward with a 12 story $80 Million dollar building that would satisfy the restraints of having a limited site size.

Omaha.com Article

Misc Green Articles

Latvian "Green" Community Article in Latvian

Gretna Geothermal Company Article