Little brick building on Grand Rapids' West Side achieves the world's highest LEED rating

GRAND RAPIDS, MI Of all the energy-efficient and LEED-certified buildings in the world, a little brick office building at 502 Second St. NW stands as the LEED champ.

The owners of Catalyst Partners and M Retail Solutions said Monday their 95-year-old office building has earned a LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, with 66 of 69 points awarded.

Its the most points to date of any project in the world under the LEED for New Construction v2.2 Rating System, according to Catalyst Partners President Keith Winn and M Retail Solutions President Chris Muller.

The cool part is that this little building can achieve such a distinction, said Muller, sitting in a roomy conference area that once housed a tool and die shop and before that, a flour mill.

Grand Rapids was known to have the highest number of LEED-certified projects per capita and now we have the honor of having the project with the highest number of LEED points in the world, within our city limits, said Mayor George Heartwell, in a news release.

This LEED Platinum project, located in the citys West Side neighborhood, will continue to serve as a catalyst for sustainable and restorative development in Grand Rapids and the West Michigan area for many years to come, Heartwell said.

Built 95 years ago as a fireproof building for the Watkins Higgins Milling Co., the structure is now chock full of the latest in energy-efficient engineering while retaining a cool loft-style ambiance.

It features a state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling system, solar panels on the roof and re-purposed materials that include the former gym floor from Iroquois Middle School and doors from the Harrison Park Elementary School.

Outside, all of the rainwater that falls on the property flows to a rain garden. Elsewhere on the property, theres a neighborhood garden and native plants that were rescued by students from Calvin College and Grand Valley State University.

Besides having an office building that is 60 percent less expensive to operate than a traditional office space, the building also serves as a showcase for the owners talents in finding and creating energy efficiencies.

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Little brick building on Grand Rapids' West Side achieves the world's highest LEED rating