Idaho Gets First New Green Building

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has certified the Front 5 Building in Boise, Idaho, under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System for New Construction and Major Renovations.

The renovated warehouse adapted for office use in downtown Boise is the first building in Idaho to achieve LEED-NC Certification.

The LEED Green Building Rating System for New Construction and Major Renovations (LEED-NC) is a rating system designed to guide the construction of high-performance commercial projects according to a set of environmentally conscious and energy efficient standards.

Located in downtown Boise, the Front 5 Building was originally built in the 1970s. The team of Oaas Laney LLC, Cole & Poe Architects and Petra Inc., transformed the 16,500-square-foot warehouse into office space.

Some of the green building features that earned the structure its certification include:

• Building reuse of 76 percent of the building shell
• Use of highly reflective roofing material designed to assist with energy efficiency of the building
• Large windows to provide natural daylight
• Extensive use of construction materials with recycled content, such as cocoon insulation made up of 80 percent post-consumer content, tile with 50 percent post-industrial content and carpet with 10 percent post industrial content