News Release Archive

Reclamation to Dedicate New ‘Green’ Building This Week

Media Contact: Rose Davis , 702-293-8421 , 09/06/2011 13:48

For Release: September 06, 2011

BOULDER CITY, NV -- The Bureau of Reclamation is dedicating its new "Green" Building this Thursday, September 8, 2011 with speakers and an open house for the public. External tours of the modern technology incorporated into the building's features begin at 2:30 p.m. with the dedication and ribbon cutting at 3:00 p.m. Guests expected to address the gathering of employees, neighbors and Boulder City community leaders include Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor, Reclamation Lower Colorado Regional Director Lorri Gray-Lee and Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler. The Green Building is located near Date Street in Boulder City, within the historic viewshed.

"In addition complying with the Reclamation Guiding Principles for High Performance and Sustainable Building this project will achieve a LEED Platinum certification, the highest level attainable. This is the first building in the Bureau of Reclamation and the third in the Department of Interior to reach this standard," said Commissioner Mike Connor.

The 43,000 square-foot Reclamation office building includes state-of-the-art materials and fixtures that cut energy use and reduce costs. Reclamation added a solar farm that will provide over 245,000 kilowatt-hours per year bringing the external energy consumption of the Green building to just 69% of a typical building this size, or the same amount of energy used by 43 single family homes in a year.

Water conservation was also key in attaining the highest level of sustainability in construction projects. With built-in water conservation features, the building uses 39% less domestic water than a typical building, conserving 118,660 gallons of water annually. By incorporating the recycling technology in a chiller plant, overall the building will recycle and reuse 83% of the water used in the cooling system with another 57,000 gallons of water reclaimed for irrigation and sanitary use.

"This is a great example of modern features incorporated into a traditional look," said Reclamation Regional Director Lorri Gray-Lee. "This vision could not have moved from paper to reality without our partners, especially the Nevada State Historic Preservation office, the Historic Preservation community in Southern Nevada, and the Boulder City engineers and public works folks who helped us."

The Green Building was built with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, and over the course of the design and construction employed men and women for over 120,000 hours. The building will house 170 current Reclamation employees dispersed in other locations around Boulder City, allowing increased efficiency and collaboration on projects.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.