Architects have green in mind for Linden Pointe
Business Courier of Cincinnati - by Laura Baverman Staff Reporter
Steed Hammond Paul signed the first lease at Norwood's Linden Pointe office building and will launch an interior design project to make its office space green.
The architecture firm will consolidate its 50 downtown employees and 40 Hamilton employees into the top floor of the new building, located just off the Norwood Lateral and Montgomery Road. It chose the site after examining about 400 other options, said Lauren Della Bella, the firm's executive vice president.
"We wanted to put ourselves in the position to have a facility that would be environmentally responsible and was extremely accessible to everybody," she said.
Because Linden Pointe was built on a former brownfield and included many green features already, the firm felt it would be the best way to meet the needs of its staff. And it allows Steed Hammond Paul room to grow. It already has increased both its staff and revenue by 21 percent during the past 16 months.
The firm is working on a design for its space, with plans to move in March. It will apply for the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for commercial interiors. Green features will include light sensors and window blind systems that adjust based on the amount of daylight. Furniture, carpet and paint will be made of 100 percent recycled materials. And most of the contents of the firm's existing office will be recycled as well.
Steed Hammond Paul employs 55 LEED-certified professionals and has a division dedicated to consulting with developers and building owners on greening their projects and facilities. The move also allows the firm to forge a partnership with Linden Pointe developer Al Neyer Inc. to help the developer incorporate green features into its future building projects.
"Everybody is in the infancy of green design, but they're focused on it more than others," said Chris Dobrozsi, Neyer's director of real estate development. "They'll help set the tone that Linden Pointe is green."
Already, Steed Hammond Paul is serving as a green consultant for Neyer's smart office project planned for land near Middletown's new regional hospital. And Neyer will seek the firm's help as it plans future phases at the Norwood site.
Linden Pointe was initially planned to cost $105 million and to include 530,000 square feet of office space and some retail. The developer has said an additional 150,000-square-foot office building could be added to those plans. It hopes to break ground on a second office building next fall once the first hits 75 percent occupancy.
Steed Hammond Paul hopes to work with those tenants and future ones at Linden Pointe to help green their interiors, too. And it hopes the move will help the firm increase its visibility as a green designer.
"There's a mixture of excitement and apprehension about change, but there are so many great reasons to be doing this," Della Bella said.
E-mail: lbaverman@bizjournals.com. Call: (513) 337-9431.
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