Appleton, WI, Mar. 15--After building a regional office in Stevens Point to meet the United State's Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification guidelines, The Boldt Co. decided to go one step further, according to the The Appleton Post-Cresent.
When no one could tell Tom Boldt, chief executive officer of the construction giant, precisely how much it cost to run a construction trailer, a team was formed to create a "green" prototype trailer--an environmentally friendly, cost-effective one.
"We wanted an example of energy conservation and sustainability," said Dave Geenen, senior project architect and one of four LEED professionals in The Boldt Co.
After gutting a standard 72-foot-long trailer, the team rebuilt it with materials that represented sustainability and energy efficiency, such as "super" insulation on walls, roof, doors and windows, and efficient lighting.
"The bottom line is it consumes half the energy of a normal construction trailer and provides a more pleasant environment for those who work in it," Geenen said.
Construction trailers provide temporary office space for two or three contractors and often facilitate meetings among as many as 12 contractors, subcontractors and clients, Geenen said.
Why it's important: Boldt's green trailer is currently in use at the construction site of a three-story office and service building for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Green Bay regional office, the state's first sustainable building project.
The LEED rating system awards points in five important design categories--sustainable site planning, water quality and conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy, conservation of materials and resources, and indoor air quality--and offers four levels of certification: LEED certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Boldt's Stevens Point office building received Silver LEED certification and provided a "good laboratory to explore green principles," Geenen said.
