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Boise Architecture Firm Makes 'Green' Office

Posted on: Wednesday, 12 October 2005, 21:00 CDT

By Melissa McGrath, The Idaho Statesman, Boise

Oct. 12--HDR Inc., a local architecture and engineering firm, is designing one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in town and trying to keep its own workplace as "green" as possible in the process.

From recycling to cutting back on driving time, HDR employees are environmentally conscious in almost every work-related activity.

The Boise office is a local branch of the national HDR firm based in Omaha, Neb., which is dedicated to designing green workplaces for itself and other companies.

HDR wants to help the environment to "minimize the damage that we do in building," said David Gibney, the sustainable design project manager at Boise's HDR office, when he accepted the city of Boise's 2005 EnviroGuard Pollution Prevention Award last month.

HDR was the first architecture and engineering firm to join the U.S. Green Building Council, and as part of that organization HDR has helped design buildings across the country that conserve energy and reduce pollution, including the Banner Bank Building going up in downtown Boise.

The Banner Bank Building will have digital lighting control, energy-efficient light bulbs, offices with individual thermostats and a water reclamation system that will capture excess water from the building and rainwater to help flush the building's toilets.

Along with its innovative designs for other buildings, HDR has implemented environmental practices in its own workplace. The Boise office won the city of Boise's EnviroGuard Award for its efforts to keep the environment clean.

Here are a few of the ways HDR is trying to help the environment:

--Every workstation has a recycling bin to make it easier for employees to recycle paper, plastic or glass items.

--Employees use both sides of the paper when printing and copying, and they reuse envelopes for interoffice correspondence.

--HDR workers drink from reusable mugs instead of paper or styrofoam cups to cut back on waste.

--The company provides an on-site fluorescent lamp recycling program.

--HDR's corporate office is providing video conferencing equipment so employees don't have to drive to and from meetings, which will save fossil fuels and improve air quality.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Idaho Statesman, Boise

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Source: The Idaho Statesman, Boise

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