tri-north builders' Corporate Headquarters

Project summary:

As a leader in green building, Tri-North Builders recognized the need to educate and inform its clients, staff, and the industry on the emerging green building trend by showcasing the latest green building techniques, materials, and systems. The result? In October 2006, Tri-North moved into its new corporate headquarters located in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. LEED¨ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certified, the 55,000 square-foot, three-story facility serves as the company's platform from which to share the benefits of green building with its clients and the community.

As one of the most environmentally-friendly buildings in the Midwest, Tri-North's facility features an energy efficient mechanical system, cotton batt insulation (made from recycled blue jeans), a green roof, waterless urinals and low-flush toilets in the bathrooms, and pervious concrete in the parking lot. Additionally, the building's large windows and skylights allow for extensive use of natural lighting in offices (over 75 percent), cutting energy usage. The building's HVAC and electrical systems are over 30 percent more efficient than standard systems, while the plumbing fixtures save 300,000 to 400,000 gallons of water each year. During construction, the company recycled 76 percent of the project's waste, a total of 261.45 tons of debris, that didn't go to landfills.

During construction and after completion, Tri-North has opened their building to the public and offers tours of the facility and its green features. Groups that have taken advantage of this ongoing educational opportunity include the Department of Natural Resources in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin Buildings and Grounds Department, the University of Wisconsin Facilities Department, municipalities, and various community organizations.

According to Tom Thayer, president and CEO of Tri-North, building green doesn't mean higher construction costs. "It is easy to build green and not at costs that are much higher than those for a standard building," Thayer says. "Plus, you have an on-going payback period for your energy savings."

"As we built our building, all technologies were analyzed and reviewed for life-cycle costs so we could share that information with the industry," Thayer says. "This is the way we should have been building for the past 30 years, and shortly, the entire industry will be building this way," he continues.

When planning and building their new headquarters, Tri-North did more than talk about helping our environment. They took steps to actually make a difference.

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