BROWN
4>EPA Historic District Properties Lead the Way
SnmenTai protection for Green Buildings in Springfield
Sustainability Pilot Background
EPA's Brownfields Sustainability Pilots provide technical assistance to assist
communities in achieving greener, more sustainable results when redeveloping
brownfields. These pilots also provide models for other communities across
the country.
EPA provided technical assistance to the City of Springfield, Missouri to assess plans
for adaptive reuse at three brownfields properties in Springfield's Commercial Street
Historic District. EPA provided green design recommendations for the buildings and
conducted a Sustainable Design Workshop. The workshop facilitated the integration
of green concepts into building design at the three selected properties and raised
community awareness of green building design efforts in Springfield.
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Springfield Commercial Street Historic District Project Background
The City of Springfield is redeveloping Commercial Street, a six block National Historic Registered District.
Commercial Street is blighted from 20 years of disinvestment, closed gas stations, and the adjacent rail yard. The
city chose three properties within the Commercial Street Historic District to be addressed by the Sustainability
Pilot, including a microbrewery, a professional massage training center with a day spa, and an historic city owned
property. All three properties previously received EPA funded Phase I and II environmental site assessments (ESAs).
Petroleum and petroleum related contaminants at the professional massage training center and the city owned
properties did not exceed nonresidential standards. The ESAs identified aboveground and underground storage
tanks, as well as floor tiles containing asbestos at the microbrewery property. After cleanup no further environmental
concerns were found.
Project Highlights
EPA's technical assistance to the City of Springfield included recommendations for sustainable design and adaptive
reuse for three Commercial Street projects, and convening a Sustainable Design Peer Workshop to review and
evaluate sustainable design and construction options for the projects. Project owners were provided a report identifying
and analyzing energy efficiency and environmental opportunities for their consideration, plus recommendations for next
steps. Eighteen design features were analyzed including process engineering, daylighting, energy efficient lighting,
insulation, green materials, water conservation, and grey water systems. Recommendations included:
Establishing green design goals based on cost
effectiveness and performance
Using the integrated team design approach to
reduce costs and improve quality of construction
and operation
Sponsoring a Commercial Street Design Peer
Workshop to advance the projects and spread the
initiative to other Commercial Street properties
Following the recommendations, the city sponsored a Sustainable Design Peer Workshop and community meeting
focused on the three Commercial Street projects. The workshop format allowed each project team, consisting of
the owner, architect and engineer, to work with EPA consultants to fine tune current design and construction plans.
Briefings included updates on energy modeling and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ratings. An
open house community meeting was held for the public to visit and view project progress.
The three Commercial Street projects are moving forward and incorporating recommendations from the EPA
technical assistance report where feasible. For example, skylights for daylighting and a light reflective roof
were installed at the microbrewery property resulting in decreased heating and cooling costs. Beyond the
three pilot projects, other property owners in the area expressed interest in using the cost benefit analyses and
recommendations report to identify opportunities for incorporating green design concepts into their projects.
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Challenges and Lessons Learned
Dispelling Perceptions that Going Green
is Expensive
EPA's technical assistance, the cost analyses and
recommendations report, and the Sustainable
Design Peer Workshop helped show owners that
green technology can be cost effective. Owners,
architects, and engineers worked to find the most
suitable, cost effective green designs for each
overall project.
Making the Case for Energy and Water
Conservation When Costs are Already
Relatively Low
In Springfield, current energy and water costs are
relatively low and do not motivate businesses or consumers to conserve energy. Energy conservation measures
face a hurdle in showing cost effective investment and near term payback. Green design decision making should
include looking at long term life cycle and energy costs. Project owners in the Pilot demonstrated a commitment
to incorporating these long term critical elements in their design plans.
The historic Commercial Club Building in Springfield.
Sources for Additional Information
For more information this project, please see the full Commercial Street Historic District technical assistance reports
at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/sustain_plts/reports/springfield_fr.pdf and
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/sustain_plts/reports/Final_Workshop_Report_Springfield.pdf
Regional Contact Information
For more information on the Springfield Commercial Street Historic District project, please contact:
Alma Moreno Lahm
EPA Region 7
913-551-7380
moreno-lahm.alma@epa.gov
Historic District Properties
Lead the Way for Green
Buildings in Springfield
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