Boldt Office Gains LEED Certification—Stevens Point, WI
Putting their money where their mouth is on the importance of sustainability, executives at The Boldt Co. have built their new headquarters to achieve a Silver certification rating from the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program from the U.S. Green Building Council. Included in the building’s components are architectural precast concrete panels provided by The Spancrete Group in Waukesha, Wis.
“We wanted to create a building that represents the corporation, and metal buildings predominate in this area,” explains David M. Kievet, executive vice president and general manager for Oscar J. Boldt Construction, a division of Boldt. “But we didn’t think metal portrayed the permanency we wanted, as precast concrete does. Precast gave us a good insulating value and a good look while helping us achieve our LEED certification.”
The building’s faÁade features brick, glass and architectural precast concrete panels, which clad the 12,000-square-foot warehouse section of the building. The sandwich insulated panels feature an interior 8-inch wythe of concrete, four inches of insulation and an exterior 2-inch panel, which is jointed to ensure the insulation remains in place while providing both interior and exterior finishes. The panels’ interior wythe support the bar-joist roof, eliminating the need for a supporting framework for the panels, which significantly reduce material needs.
The precast panels helped the building achieve its LEED certification through attributes beyond its high insulating value and thermal mass. The panels were manufactured close to the facility, cutting the energy needed to transport the material to the site. Precast panels also can incorporate recycled materials, including previously used concrete. And admixtures such as flyash can be used to replace a portion of the high-energy cement needed to create concrete.