Accumulating more honors than a critically acclaimed film, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Northeast Regional Headquarters building was presented the "Award of Merit" by the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance at their Sustainability and Energy Efficiency (SE2) conference at the Monona Terrace. The award was the sixth such accolade presented to the facility in the past year for excellence in energy efficiency and sustainability.
Opened in April 2005, the 48,000-square-foot DNR headquarters was constructed using sustainable design and building principles to decrease construction waste and increase the operating efficiencies of the building.
The SE2 "Award of Merit" was accepted by representatives from the DNR and Department of Administration's Division of State Facilities.
"We are honored to accept this award," said John Hagman, chief of DNR Facilities Management. "As the department tasked with protecting and preserving Wisconsin's natural resources, it is very satisfying to work in a building that is reflective of those principles."
Robert Cramer, administrator of the Department of Administration's Division of State Facilities, said that the DNR project was designed from the ground up to achieve significant sustainability and energy efficiency goals.
"With rising costs in the price of energy and building materials, the DNR headquarters is proof that environmentally friendly design is also budget conscious design," Cramer said. "The new building's energy costs are 61-percent lower than a code-compliant facility of similar size and use, saving taxpayers $27,500 a year and making the DNR headquarters a model for future state building projects."
In addition to the SE2 award, the DNR headquarters has also received the first Governor's Award for "Excellence in Sustainable Design and Construction," the Brown County Business Recycling Award for Innovation, the Midwest Construction "Best of 2005 Award of Merit," the Wisconsin Builder "Top 20 Projects," and the LEED Green Building Gold Rating.
