"LEED requires that 75% of interior spaces achieve 25 foot-candles of natural daylighting, but we couldn't hit it," Brown recalls. "With our shading coefficient, our plan came to 73.6%. Had we gone higher, the resulting heat gain would have increased our chiller's operating costs."

Although Brown pored over spreadsheets to keep track of LEED points won and lost, it was only as construction was nearing its final lap that it became clear that Wellmark was within reach of LEED Platinum. "Our initial objective was to achieve LEED Gold," says Brown. "Once we realized we could achieve LEED Platinum, it became a matter of taking a more active role in managing all of those pieces."

With the design set, many of the remaining pieces fell under the purview of the project's general contractor, the Des Moines-based Weitz Co., a firm better known for large-scale headquarters than LEED-certified projects.

"Weitz learned quickly," says Grindheim. "Nearly 90% of construction waste was diverted from the landfill."

Blue Cross, meanwhile, revisited the issue of performance verification, a LEED criterion it had previously rejected. "Even our consultants couldn't figure it out—the number of submeters required to measure electrical consumption or the format for reporting results," says Brown. "Finally, someone from Weidt Group stepped up and said, 'This is how you do it.'"

In addition to environmental health, the completed facility promotes employee health and well-being. Each work space is equipped with dedicated temperature controls and air diffusers, while the introduction of outside air is regulated by CO2 sensors.

"We're a health insurer," says Brown. "What could be more important than the physical and emotional health of our employees and customers?"

Key Players

Owner Developer: Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Des Moines, Iowa

Lead Designer: HOK, St. Louis

GC/CM: The Weitz Co., Des Moines, Iowa

MEP Engineer: KJWW Engineering Consultants, Des Moines, Iowa

Submitted by: KJWW Engineering Consultants

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