From "New Deal" You Can Spell "LEED" in New Mexico AG's Office

Take one 70 year old building. Not just any building, but the first building constructed with New Deal money in New Mexico and named one of the most endangered places in the state by the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance. Now add Governor Bill Richardson, an early proponent of LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for state buildings. Next, add then Attorney General Patricia Madrid who wanted for her office and staff a LEED building to meet her health and environmental standards. The story of the Villagra building’s renovation between 2004 and 2006, and how it came to be the first LEED Gold building in New Mexico is a tale of leadership, teamwork, shared vision and commitment to excellence.  It’s also a textbook example of a successful green project.

The Villagra building in Santa Fe was scheduled for a conventional renovation when the decision was made to take additional measures for the interior that would meet LEED certification standards. Work was already well underway for the new 42,305 square feet addition to the historic building’s existing 18,180 square feet. As someone who worked on the LEED certification process for existing buildings, I am in awe of the complexity of undertaking the completion of a large, new building in conjunction with seeking LEED certification for an architecturally significant building that adjoins it.

The team that was assembled to meet this challenge came from the Attorney General’s Office, the state’s Property Control Division, the General Services Administration, the Historic Preservation Division, consulting architects, engineers, and the general contractor. Valerie Walsh, a LEED accredited professional, was put in charge of managing and coordinating the LEED process, the design and construction team, and the LEED documentation from demolition through occupancy and certification.

In 2004, the LEED rating system for commercial interiors was adopted by the US Green Building Council; in 2006, the Villagra building was only the 8th Gold certified project in the country.

The LEED rating system is comprised of five main aspects of building practices. The building satisfied criteria under the Sustainable Sites category by designating preferred parking for low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles and providing bicycle racks and showers to encourage alternative transportation. The site was well-placed for mass transit and its urban setting attracted nearby residents to walk to work and to numerous nearby services. The new heating and cooling system (HVAC) won LEED Energy and Atmosphere points for optimizing energy performance. Along with the new HVAC system, energy recovery systems, insulation, and high-tech window film, the energy performance is 31% better than standard. Wind power credits were purchased to offset carbon emissions (CO2) from electricity use for two years. Lighting efficiencies were achieved by installing occupant sensor controls that switch lights off in unoccupied areas and using an auto-dimming feature when natural daylight is adequate. The historic single-pane glass, wood-frame windows from 1934 were kept and adapted with high-tech film to reflect heat in summer and retain heat in winter.

The outdoor landscape reduced water usage by 79% through a high efficiency irrigation system combined with native plants. The old, indoor plumbing was removed, and new restrooms were located where the two buildings connect. Recycling was instituted for cardboard, plastic, metal, glass, and all paper. 82% of demolition and construction waste was diverted from the landfill. The team put an emphasis on re-using fixtures, choosing recycled content building materials, purchasing Forest Stewardship Council certified wood furniture and doors, and purchasing local and regional materials to reduce environmental transportation impacts. These were some of the strategies that fulfilled LEED expectations for Materials and Resources.

Indoor Environmental Quality concerns were met with products and materials that were non-toxic and low VOC (volatile organic compound). A green housekeeping program won a point for Innovation and became standard policy for all state buildings as a result of this LEED project, as well as the green pest management program which uses alternatives to toxic chemicals and insecticides.

There were many challenges along the way, to be sure. Recycling, for example, was not a standard practice apart from paper in state government buildings. The Attorney General agreed to cover the costs of the added service. The success of the effort and demonstrated benefits of recycling more than just paper served as a model for other state buildings to follow. There were historic preservation concerns with the original plans for a large air handling unit on the roof that were resolved with a creative re-design of the system to fit smaller units that would not detract from the visual aesthetics of the building. Also, LEED building projects carry some additional investment costs while holding out the promise of reduced operating expenses. Michael Bodelson, former State Architect for New Mexico wrote, ”Obviously, there were some fixed costs for design and documentation efforts. However, the vast majority of building improvements attributed to LEED, pay dividends every day in utility savings and occupant performance. In the final analysis, costs for LEED were almost entirely absorbed into the contextual fabric of the project.”

The project was completed in March 2006 and received LEED Gold certification the following October. It is the first building in the state to receive LEED Gold. The building and its companion addition were renamed the Paul Bardacke Attorney General Complex. In 2007, the renovation was recognized with the Historic Preservation Award for Architectural Heritage. 

 Valerie Walsh commented on the success of the project, “Our dedicated and solution-oriented team rose to the occasion and produced a healthy, high performance building from an historic building once slated for demolition while preserving its original character.” 

Stuart Bluestone, who was Chief Deputy Attorney General for former Attorney General Patricia Madrid during the construction project, said, "With AG Madrid's approval and full support, we knew we wanted a building we could be proud of as being as environmentally sound and energy efficient as resources would allow.  But since we're only lawyers and not architects or contractors, the best move we made was hiring Valerie Walsh to be our AG Office LEED expert and consultant.  She really was the one who put the whole state government and building contractors team together, and without her this project would never have been so successful.  We simply couldn't have done this without her.  So my advice to AG's and other lawyers or building owners who want to do LEED is simple:  get yourself an expert you can trust to guide you through and manage the process, someone you pay who is answerable directly to you."  

Bluestone, who continued as Chief Deputy for the beginning of Attorney General Gary King's term and who now works part-time as the AG's Senior Counsel, adds, "Those of us who work in the building are justifiably proud of knowing there is LEED certification.  AG King took the initiative to organize the event to celebrate the LEED award.  I think his commitment to  LEED follow-up reflects his ongoing concern to be sure the AG's Office does everything it reasonably can to make our work environment pleasant and productive for everyone.  I believe the staff really appreciates that."  

In an earlier blog, I wrote about the LEED projects in our office. What I have come to appreciate about LEED is how useful a guideline the rating system can be when applied to many aspects of greening an office. Certainly, a LEED building project will propel any greening endeavor further because the system rewards a broad range of practices such as recycling efforts, green housekeeping, and environmentally preferable purchasing in addition to energy and water efficiency measures and construction and furnishing materials. I think this is extremely useful for any organization, even one that has no specific plan to seek LEED certification. But if you do, bookmark this blog and references, because the state of New Mexico and the Attorney General’s Office team constructed a building complex we can all admire and use as a model project.
A profile summary of the project and a LEED case study written by Valerie Walsh in partnership with the Attorney General’s Office as part of an educational Clean Energy Grant are excellent references for those interested in learning more. Another good resource is the US Green Building Council's “Road Map to Sustainable Government Buildings” to which Ms. Walsh contributed.