Heifer International is a non-profit organization whose mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. The design process for the Headquarters building was inspired by villages where the community members make decisions sitting in a circle, facing each other as equals. During the Headquarters design process, members of the project team, the community, and the client made collaborative decisions in that same arrangement. A governing principle was that the building should reinforce the message that reducing poverty and hunger require stewardship of the earth. The project demonstrates that construction projects can – and should – remain true to the earth’s resources . (107 words)

ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

The design team performed life-cycle cost analyses for major systems and used a payback period of seven to ten years to determine the viability of sustainable features. For example, the team determined vehicle recharging stations would get little use and would not meet the acceptable payback period. Instead, the team pursued affordable alternatives, such as preferred parking for hybrid vehicles and connections to public transportation.

The building site, a former railroad yard, posed environmental challenges, but also a great opportunity to communicate Heifer's mission. Its location allows easy access to public transportation and a pedestrian district. Employees bike, walk, carpool, and even canoe to work. Blurring the property border with the neighboring building's 30-acre riverfront park creates a combined 60-acre greenbelt. Splayed parking areas paved with a permeable surface radiate out from the building with bioswales between the rows, allowing native trees and vegetation to dominate the parking area. Constructed wetlands on three sides of the building have helped turn the brownfield site into a thriving ecosystem.

The inverted roof directs rainwater to a water tower, and waterless urinals and low-flow toilets and lavatories that use graywater from building systems minimize potable water use. Moisture removed from the building as condensate is reused to cool the building.

The building was designed to use 55% less energy than a conventional building, with a focus on daylighting as the primary source of ambient light during work hours. The building's east-west axis and glazing allow for minimal electric lighting. Automatic dimmers adjust the lighting in response to daylight levels, while occupancy sensors turn lights off in unoccupied rooms.