by Brianna Crandall — February 14, 2011—The U.S. General Services Administration unveiled plans on February 4 to turn the 92-year-old Wayne Aspinall Federal Building and Courthouse in Grand Junction, Colorado, into the country’s first net-zero energy usage historic building.
The building design is aiming to achieve net-zero energy usage, meaning the building will produce as much energy as it consumes in a year. If the goal is reached, this would be the country’s first net-zero building on the National Register of Historic Places. The project is also targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, USGBC’s highest level of certification.
GSA will install an energy-saving geothermal heating and cooling system that uses the warmth or cold of the ground to control temperature, and a solar panel array that is projected to generate enough energy to balance out the electrical demand of the building. Additional energy produced in excess of the building’s needs will be exported to Grand Junction’s electrical grid. The building will also feature state-of-the-art fluorescent light fixtures with wireless controls to adjust lighting to respond to natural light levels, and storm windows with solar control film to reduce demand on heating and cooling.
Originally designed by renowned architect James Wetmore, the Wayne Aspinall Federal Building was constructed as a post office and courthouse and completed in 1918. In 1939, a large extension was added. Project completion is scheduled for January 2013, at which time the state-of-the-art building will host nine federal agencies.
