BNIM
Des Moines, Iowa
Located on a six-acre site that was once moldering landfill in Des Moines, a new complex for the Iowa Utilities Board and Office of Consumer Advocate is defying notions about what civic buildings look like, one sunlit, sustainably designed office at a time. This was all part of the two state agencies' plan to become models of energy efficiency and educate the community at large. The Des Moines office of Kansas City, Missouri'based BNIM was hired to accomplish these goals. 'Our general design philosophy is 'resolve, rigor, and restraint,' ' explains project architect Carey Nagle, describing the approach the firm took for this building, which came with a tight budget.
The result of BNIM's judicious strategy is a 44,700-square-foot building comprising two wings joined by a central lobby. The north wing, the larger of the two, contains the offices of the Iowa Utilities Board; the Office of Consumer Advocate occupies the south wing. BNIM designed the building to achieve an energy savings of 60 percent over the region's code baseline requirements and for optimum user comfort: the precast-concrete panels cladding the building are punctuated by large windows that allow daylight in and views out. Long and low, the office building has a quiet aesthetic that is meant to respect the older buildings in the nearby capitol complex, all while presenting a modest face for the agencies. 'We tried to meet the client's needs simply, with sustainable and traditional design,' explains Nagle.
For employees of the utilities board, the benefits are quantifiable: 98 percent of spaces have access to views and daylight, and 100 percent of occupants can get to a manually controlled window to let air in. The building's smart green systems have also made a mark: after two operational years, the annual energy savings amounts to nearly $42,000. At this rate, the utilities board will recoup its investment in these sustainable measures in less than four years. 'And we've heard that the building has greatly facilitated collaboration,' says Nagle. 'Folks don't see themselves as working individually anymore.'
Architect:
BNIM
317 6th Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-974-6462
816-783-1501
Completion Date: April 2011
Gross square footage: 44,700 square feet
Total construction cost: $10.1 million
