West Des Moines Historic City Hall Receives LEED Platinum Rating

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa - Aug. 28, 2013 - PRLog -- West Des Moines Historic City Hall is located at 137 Fifth Street in West Des Moines, Iowa.  The building was originally built in 1905 and served as West Des Moines City Hall until 1953.  Since 1953 the building has served numerous other purposes including a fire department, jail, bakery, and a retail store.  The city took possession of the 3,500 square foot building in 2007 and began the renovation process that eventually led to a LEED Platinum Rating.

LEED Platinum is the highest possible award from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).  Historic City Hall received this designation through the use of sustainable design and building practices.  Sustainable practices such as geothermal mechanical system, solar (photovoltaic) panels, LED lighting, and a green roof were used to reduce the building’s monthly operation costs and energy consumption.  The construction phase had the goal of preserving the historical nature of the building and by reusing or repurposing existing materials.

Funding for this project was made possible through grants, fundraising and donations.  In total, fifteen different grants and fundraisers were utilized.  The financial resources came from the City of West Des Moines, Historic Valley Junction Foundation, Iowa Department of Economic Development Main Street Office, Iowa Great Places, I-JOBS, Iowa Office of Energy Independence, State Historical Society of Iowa, United States Department of Energy, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In an effort to create a successful project, SystemWorks LLC was hired to commission the project.  SystemWorks, a company also located in Historic Valley Junction, was not only the commissioning agent on the project but also donated their time, talents, and equipment to balance the building’s mechanical systems.  SystemWorks has commissioned over 100 LEED rated projects and over 5,000,000 square feet of building space in the state of Iowa and across the country.  The building commissioning process was a prerequisite to achieve LEED Platinum for West Des Moines Historic City Hall.

The building currently houses the Historic Valley Junction Foundation and is continuing to serve the community over a hundred years later.  Through fundraising efforts, grants, and donations, the city has created a sustainable building that will operate efficiently for years.  According to Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council, “The West Des Moines Historic City Hall project efficiently uses our natural resources, and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which will tremendously benefit future generations to come.”

About SystemWorks:

SystemWorks LLC is an independent, third-party commissioning provider located in West Des Moines, Iowa. The company specializes in building commissioning, retro-commissioning, LEED commissioning, facility analysis, thermal imaging, indoor air quality testing, energy audits, utility benchmarking, and certified testing and balancing.  www.systemworksllc.com