Wilderness Alliance 'walks the talk' with its new green office building

The new headquarters for architecture consultant Environmental Dynamics Inc. is as green as an emerald.

EDI will use the newly remodeled 7,200-square-foot facility in Albuquerque's Highland neighborhood to showcase the benefits of green buildings. It also will provide a home for like-minded environmental groups, says EDI President Stace McGee.

"We want to transform commercial and residential properties into much more sustainable places for people to live and work," McGee says. "We want buildings that give back more than they take from the environment. This facility will help us demonstrate the viability of green design."

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance moved into the building this month. EDI staff will follow by year-end, and the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and probably the Sierra Club will come in February.

Wilderness Alliance Media Director Nathan Newcomer says his organization rented space there to set an example for others.

"Environmental groups like ours have been saying for years that we need to reduce energy use to help preserve natural resources," Newcomer says. "By moving into this building, we're walking the walk and not just talking the talk."

EDI -- which promotes environmentally friendly design in New Mexico and other states -- bought the building at 142 Truman NE for $360,000. It's investing $225,000 to bring the facility into complete compliance with standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council to earn gold-level certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Much of the redesign is already done, McGee says. In fact, EDI deliberately chose an old building in the Highland neighborhood to contribute to urban redevelopment and revitalization.

The structure now includes passive solar design principles such as insulated metal and solar hydronic panels on the exterior to minimize fossil-fuel consumption. A convective, self-sustaining heating and cooling system must still be built. But skylights for natural light and ventilation, low-energy lighting and appliances, and low-flow sinks and toilets have been installed.

EDI relied exclusively on renewable materials such as bamboo and linoleum for all remodeling. It also used urea-formaldehyde-free wood, low toxicity and non-toxic paints and adhesives, and materials manufactured or harvested locally.

Outside, EDI replaced pavement with a xeric landscape. The design includes water-harvesting techniques such as swales and channels to capture rain and runoff in above- and below-ground storage tanks.

McGee says EDI will host educational visits to teach people about green design in partnership with the Green Building Council and the city of Albuquerque.

Mayor Martin Chavez praised EDI for its commitment to sustainable development.

"We've really only taken a few baby steps in terms of green design in Albuquerque, but they're good first steps," Chavez says. "We now have a group looking at totally revamping our building code to develop a new 'green code' for the city. We're committed to making Albuquerque a leader in this area."