MarketPlace Named AIA/COTE Top 10
Green Building Project
Zeeland, Michigan, April, 2003 - The Granger Group's MarketPlace facility, a leased
building developed for Herman Miller, has been named one of the year's Top Ten
Green Project by the Committee on the Environment (COTE), a consortium of
5400 architects within the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Each year, in recognition of Earth Day, The AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects
program seeks to identify and recognize the exemplary built projects that demonstrate
the benefits of a high-performance, sustainable design approach. The program evaluates
projects based on a broad and inclusive definition of design quality that includes
performance, aesthetics, community connection, and stewardship of the natural
environment. Selected projects address significant environmental challenges with
design that integrate architecture, technology, and natural systems.
The COTE jury states, "MarketPlace exhibits unusual interior flexibility while providing
a significantly high level of amenity and indoor environmental quality including water
and light, and the ability of the site to detain a 100-year storm event. This is a promising
prototype for an economically viable, environmentally sensitive, and sustainable solution
in the speculative office market."
"This office space demonstrates that 'green' prefabricated system buildings can be
woven successfully into commercial developments."
The MarketPlace is among the nation's first design/build Gold-rated LEED Certified
buildings. Its operational costs are becoming a national benchmark for energy-efficient
designs.
