Monday LEEDoff: State & City Building- Historic Green Conversion in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia
I spent the weekend down in southwestern Virginia with my girlfriend at her parents’ place, so I thought it would be appropriate to write about a local LEED project today. Unfortunately, green news is still bit thin in those parts, but I was able to dig up a few LEED projects in Roanoke, which is about an hour west of her folks. One of them is the rehabilitation of the State & City Building, a historic 101-year-old, eight-story structure that local developer Rob Glenn is converting into 3,700-square-foot, full-floor residential condominiums. Located at 104 Campbell Avenue in downtown Roanoke, five of the eight floors have already been purchased; Mr. Glenn and his wife will move into the top two floors. The final floor- the third floor- will be sold as a fully furnished speculative condo with an asking price of between $600,000 and $700,000. Purchasers of each of the other units will be free to design the interiors as they see fit, and the entire renovation should be complete sometime next June.
Glenn hopes to obtain a LEED Silver rating for his efforts, which include LEED-standard design features such as low-VOC paints and sealants, energy efficient appliances, and the use of recycled construction materials. Of course, the project’s most sustainable feature is that it contemplates the restoration of an historic structure- Roanoke’s first such conversion to seek a LEED rating. The building’s exterior was reworked with the installation of pre-cast stone masonry and the cleaning and repair of its copper cornice, as well as with new entrances for both a first-floor retail jeweler and the residential spaces. The project team also includes architect John Garland of Spectrum Design and Breakell General Contractors.
- State & City Building (Breakell, Inc.)
- Living Large Downtown (Roanoke Times)
Category: Green Building, Green Condos, LEED, Roanoke
Stephen, I am so pleased to see that you have found our project. I am the Director of Sustainable Practices at Breakell and the Chapter Chair of our local USGBC. I would like to make a small correction to your entry, the State and City Building is at 102 Campbell Ave.
I also wanted to point out that green building is flourishing in Southwest Virginia with over a half dozen LEED projects in the works. Our local USGBC Southwest Virginia Chapter is growing rapidly and is becoming recognized in the community as a leader in advocacy for green building. I would like to invite you to contact me the next time you are in Roanoke. I would love to find out more about your green initiatives!
Hi Stephen! Thanks for giving the State & City Building some visibility. Wanted to add a little to Nell Boyle’s comments above. In addition to green building, there are other significant initiatives in our region: Hollins University has signed the American College & University Climate Commitment, pledging climate neutrality; Salem (next to Roanoke) has endorsed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement; Roanoke City has measured its carbon footprint and already reduced it by 1.5% since 2005; Roanoke County will measure its footprint this summer. Our own organization, Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition, has 100 affiliates representing over 15,000 citizens – businesses, nonprofits and individuals – all committed to reducing local greenhouse gas emissions. We just held a conference in a LEED Gold candidate building, a restored black and tan club that is now the Claude Moore Education Complex, part of the Higher Education Center in downtown Roanoke. Per capita, we think we are doing pretty well.
Dr. Diana Christopulos
Board Chair
Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition
http://www.rvccc.org