PrintByline: IBR Staff
From teardown to build-up, the remodeling of the Falcon Building is an environmental dream come true.
The three-story, 35,000-square-foot building at 815 E. Park Blvd.,Boise, is undergoing extensive interior remodeling and enhancements with an eye toward energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. Owned by Velma Morrison, it was originally built in the 1970s, according to Chris Jones, project manager for general contractor Russell Corp., Meridian.
Jones said the builders and designers are confident the design andconstruction elements of the project will win high-end LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and notoriety. LEED awards are given in general certification, silver, gold and platinum using a point system based on overall best energy and environmental practices.
There's a good chance of winning the silver, but we're shooting for the gold, he said.
Cory Nelson, project manager for designers Modus Architecture, Boise, said physical work on the Falcon project began when volunteers with the nonprofit Second Chance Building Materials, Boise, removed andrecycled materials from the interior demolition of the building.
Design elements include a system of borrowing groundwater and running it through heat exchangers to either heat or cool the building, he said. In the winter it will harvest heat energy from the water table via a submersed heat exchanger loop, said David Gibney, sustainabledesign project manager for HDR Architecture, Boise. In the summer, the system takes heat from the building and discharges it into the water table. Gibney said this system alone will reduce the building's energy consumption by more than 50 percent. Low flow and low flush plumbing fixtures going in will reduce water consumption by more than 30 percent, he said.
The building's design also includes using six-inch insulation throughout its perimeter, new caulking and roof to decrease solar heating.
We're using a highly efficient curtain wall and storefront system for thermal transmissions, with a high-performance glass system, Jones said. The builders chose finish materials, such as paint, carpet and interior vinyl wall coverings that contain recycled or reusable materials that minimize off-gassing, or the release of volatile organic compounds.
Gibney said the project includes specially engineered vegetated basins that will retain all on-site storm water. Water quality will be tested for the basins' effectiveness in removing hydrocarbons before the storm water seeps into the aquifer.
Nelson said the building will feature a two-story glass entry atrium on the north side of the building, with a new canopy that really defines the entry for the building.
A grand exterior staircase will grace the front of the building, said Nelson, which will lead from the parking area to a raised plaza, which wraps around the entire building.
It's deeper on the south side of the building so that people can sit out there and have views of the Greenbelt and Boise River, he said.
Inside, a portion of the second floor has been removed so that tenants and those entering from the north side will have a view of an open, two-story atrium space, which will be day-lit from the glass atrium on the exterior of the building.
The Falcon Building will house high-end office space. Existing tenants include a law firm and electrical engineers.
The $4.1 million shell and core phase of the project is set for completion in July, with tenant improvements to follow.
