THE WAY KATH WILLIAMS SEES IT, GREEN BUILDINGS REPRESENT Bozeman's future and its past. Williams—past president of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and a Bozeman-based consultant—is confident that demand for construction that takes the long-term health of the environment into account is going to grow steadily. But she also believes that sustainable, "green" building is the old Montana way.
    "Our ancestors didn't order up marble from Italy," she says. "They built houses with local materials. They quarried rock here and built with travertine and river rock. They built in natural ventilation. They knew not to build on ridges. They did all the green things that we're now going back to."
    Two office projects currently underway in Bozeman are going back to those roots, while also trying to blaze a path toward a greener future. Morrison-Maierle, Inc., is building its new Bozeman headquarters off Huffine Lane in the Bozeman Gateway development. The Burgard Building, meanwhile, will be on the east end of town, just off Interstate 90.
    Developers on both projects are seeking USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System certification. It's a rigorous process, but one that advocates say will pay long-term dividends in terms of energy cost savings, environmental impact and office occupant health.
    Chris Burgard is the owner of a planned three-story green office building just approved for construction on Bozeman's eastern gateway. For him, going green was a no-brainer.
    "I grew up in Bozeman," he says. "I have a particular loyalty and passion for this area, and I think the reality is that people are going to keep moving here and it's going to grow. That's not going to change. But it has to be done responsibly. I want this building to be something I can be proud of, that the community can be proud of."
    He has set an ambitious goal. There are four levels of LEED green building ratings—certified, silver, gold and platinum—each requiring increasingly stringent standards to reflect everything from site sustainability to use of local building materials to general energy efficiency. Burgard is seeking platinum—the highest level—certification. According to Williams, who has worked on the project, there are only 34 buildings in the world that currently hold the LEED platinum certification.

"21st CENTURY BUILDING"

    For design work, Burgard turned to Bitnar Architects, a Bozeman firm owned by Thomas Bitnar, AIA, RIBA. Bitnar, born in the former Czechoslovakia, already had extensive experience and training in designing green buildings due to continuing education and work experience in Germany—a leader in environmentally friendly design—and elsewhere in Europe, where such development is common.
    The result is what Burgard calls a "21st century building," with a highway facade designed to be appreciated, even at 75 miles per hour, and built-in features that not only meet LEED requirements but also make it unique in Bozeman.
    "Every facade of the building is different for both aesthetic purposes and for the different engineering and environmental requirements that vary from north, south, east and west," architect Bitnar explains. "For example, the south facade is a 'double facade' that creates a chimney effect, drawing cool air from the north side of the building through underground tubes and on up to each level."
    The roof is considered a facade in its own right, incorporating both a green-grass roof and solar panels. The glass-enclosed atrium will feature a 20-foot living spruce tree. Climate control is achieved not only by the double facade but also by the natural cross ventilation allowed by floors that have a 14-inch slab-to-slab opening.
    "The building has a lot of windows and window shades that are automatic," Burgard adds. "It's all based on the trajectory of the sun and the temperature of the building. Tenants won't have to mess with the shades: They will go up and down very slowly automatically to track the sun in an effort to keep the building comfortable."

SETTING AN EXAMPLE

    At Morrison-Maierle, Inc.—Montana's oldest and largest engineering firm—tenants won't be part of the picture in their new green building. The 40,000-square-foot building now under construction in the Bozeman Gateway subdivision, just south of the Chronicle building, will be the company's new Bozeman headquarters. More than new work space, however, the firm sees its planned building as a visible symbol of the possibilities of green.
    "As a firm that designs buildings and systems in buildings, we felt we needed to take a leadership role with our own building," explains Jennifer Burgett, a mechanical engineer and LEED-certified professional at Morrison-Maierle. "We thought it was important to set an example to show what could be done and should be done, as well as what is economically feasible."
    Designed by the ThinkOne architect group of Bozeman, the new Morrison-Maierle headquarters is seeking LEED certification at the silver level. Some of its LEED features include low-emitting volatile organic compound (VOC) materials that improve indoor air quality, individual thermostats to maximize efficiency and employee comfort, skylights to promote natural light throughout and extensive use of recycled as well as local and regional materials. A planned green roof will provide employees with a comfortable, grassy patio area and incredible views while increasing the green space in a part of Bozeman that is rapidly transforming from rural pasture to suburban development.
    Burgett says that the firm's experience with LEED certification has given them further impetus to encourage environmentally responsible development in future projects.
    "I think that it's the way the building industry is going to go," she says. "The people who are building buildings want to do the right thing, but lots of it has to do with the bottom line. Now that these green ideas and technologies have gotten more mainstream, that makes them economically viable."
    Jack Schunke, Morrison-Maierle's Bozeman office manager and vice president, notes that developers might be pleasantly surprised by how affordable green can be. "A lot of people think that going through and being LEED certified is expensive and prohibitive, but what we found is that it can be done within a budget," he says. "And when you look at the long-term energy costs, it certainly has some major advantages."
    And, as Chris Burgard says, there are other compelling reasons for pursuing green office space: "Studies show sustainable construction increases things like productivity and occupant health," he indicates.
    According to Kath Williams, that kind of long-term thinking is the key—and the biggest obstacle. "Even our ancestors didn't always think long term," she says. "We make decisions based on today, but that's where we pay for them over and over again. Thinking forward a hundred years—that's the thing that is the challenge for all of us."