The iconic art deco Jemne Building was recently recognized by the State of Minnesota’s Buildings, Benchmarks, and Beyond (B3) program as a finalist in the 2018 Best of B3 Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) – Workplace category.
Clients:
District Energy of Saint Paul and Ever-Green Energy
Clients’ Goals:
District Energy’s primary objective in renovating the Jemne building was to showcase new technologies, best practices, and state-of-the-art equipment in a way that enables the company to continue to educate its employees, clients, and partners. From the initial design kick-off meeting, District Energy was committed to doing as much to achieve energy efficiency in this building as they would ever ask of their best client. To this end, District Energy elected to use the State of Minnesota’s Sustainable Buildings 2030 (SB 2030) program to set and meet an aggressive energy efficiency standard. In addition to these efforts, sustainable practices around waste reduction and recycling, water conservation, and eco-friendly procurement were incorporated into the building’s design and function.
Project Highlights:
The prevalent daylight and views available through the historic windows are shared equitably through an open office floor plan with low partition heights. Spaces without daylight (such as the original theater) are now programmed as meeting and event spaces, rather than as continuously occupied workspaces. Live plants on an interior green wall contribute to biophilia as well as improving office air quality.
Two electric car charging stations promote electric vehicle usage, three bottle filling stations have dispensed the equivalent of 10,000 bottles of water, and cleaning products that avoid toxins are utilized. Additionally, lighting fixture retrofits help save on electricity and cooling, as well as preserve the original look of the most historic internal spaces.
Results from a recent post-occupancy survey revealed that employees were very satisfied with both the overall facility and their primary workspace and felt that the environment enhances both their work performance and their health.
High-Performance Features:
– Reducing environmental construction/demolition impacts (13.5% of new materials from recycled content, 10.2% of new materials are bio-based)
– Exceeding energy code standards by more than 30%
– Conserving water through a new low-flow water system
– Composting 1 ton of waste in the first year
– Recycling 6.5 tons of materials in the first year
Recognition:
2018 Best of B3 Finalist
2017 Sustainable Saint Paul Exceptional Environmental Steward Award
LHB’s Role:
Architecture, Sustainable Design Consulting, Interior Design
