MADISON, WI – Two nonprofit organizations in Wisconsin teamed up last month to educate architects and other building professionals about a new $2.9 million green building soon to be built in a nearby research park.

The Wisconsin Green Building Alliance and the Energy Center of Wisconsin (ECW), both located here, held a design forum on June 11th to inform attendees about the design process for the Research Park building – an environmentally sensitive office building scheduled to be built later this year in the University of Wisconsin’s University Research Park (URP).

Forum participants learned about the building’s planned green features as well as the collaborative process that was essential to its success. The 50,000-square-foot building was designed by architect Bill Sturm, AIA, of Prisco Serena Sturm Architects and will be built at an estimated cost of approximately $57-59 per square foot. Native vegetation landscaping, a high-efficiency building envelope, green construction materials, whole-system engineering to minimize mechanical cooling, and high IAQ will all be included in the project.

According to educational material issue by the ECW, the building is meant to both document and promote the University’s “leadership in responsible and thoughtful business practices” as well as to test the ability of green development to enhance URP’s market position.

“The project is a significant case study because the owner needs to be able to rent the space at the same rate as other developers are renting at,” said Joseph Danes of the Energy Center of Wisconsin. “There has been a lot of give and take in the design process, and the results provide an interesting analysis for architects and other building professionals.” The Energy Center, a utility-funded organization, helped design the facility and to educate the public about its features.

“Some green projects have huge budgets, but most people don’t get to work with that kind of money,” said Abby Vogen, director of the Wisconsin Green Builder Alliance. “So we’re trying to show through this project that you can get an owner to do green buildings on a limited budget. It’s creating lots of excitement.”

The Energy Center of Wisconsin has more information about the project on its Web site at www.ecw.org

Contact: The Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, 16 N. Carroll St., Suite 840, Madison, WI 53703; 608-280-0360; fax: 608-280-0361; e-mail: avogen@wbga.wi-ei.org