Grand Rapids Community Foundation was recently notified that its 104 year old building, the former Anheuser Busch icehouse, located at 185 Oakes Street SW was awarded Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-LEED Certification with 36 points.

“We are pleased to have achieved the silver LEED certification. It was a goal even before we hired our architects and construction firm,” said Diana Sieger, president of Grand Rapids Community Foundation. “We believe that the extra effort we put toward LEED has made a better workplace for employees and gathering place for the community.” Design Plus served as the architect for the renovation and Fryling Construction was the general contractor.

The Community Foundation earned points for the selection of the building site itself, access to public transportation, bicycle storage and changing space, use of existing parking facilities, the energy efficient roofing, water use reduction in restrooms, overall energy efficiency and use of natural lighting, reuse of existing building structure, the diversion of construction waste to a recycling facility, use of regionally produced materials, use of sustainably forested materials, the air exchange system, low off-gassing paints and adhesives and innovation in overall design. The TransPoints program, by which employees earn points and awards for green behaviors, earned an extra point.