INDEPENDENCE UTILITIES CENTER

When the city’s municipal electric utility, Independence Power & Light (IPL), needed additional office and customer support space, it sought out a location where its services would be accessible to the community and that would demonstrate its commitment to being environmentally conscious. A vacant, 14-acre complex offered a central location with several complexities to address.

Charged with an ambitious goal of completion within 12 months, our team was selected to develop the sustainable design of the 47,500-square-foot project with the intention of earning LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. After demonstrating the benefits of an increased certification goal to that of LEED Platinum, the city agreed to this goal.

To achieve LEED Platinum certification the building’s design incorporated a floor plan that maximized the use of natural light, low-VOC flooring, paint and ceiling tiles. Much of the wood featured throughout the building was sourced through our material reuse program, specifically fencing that was reclaimed from a thoroughbred horse farm in Kentucky. The building also uses rooftop solar photovoltaic panels to support facility operations and variable refrigerant flow to efficiently heat and cool the building.