Greensburg City Hall

The first LEED Platinum City Hall in the United States

Information

Location Greensburg, Kansas
Size 4,800 SF
Completion 2009
Certification LEED Platinum

Greensburg City Hall houses the City’s administrative offices and council chambers, which also serve as a public gathering space for town meetings and municipal court sessions. At the front of the building, a vertical axis wind turbine indicates the significance of city government and the goals for a more sustainable future for Greensburg. This LEED Platinum building incorporates a philosophy that reduces consumption at every level, reuses, recycles and cleans its waste and generates clean power for the community. Reinforcing the corner site, the L-shaped building is organized into two wings—a public wing along Main Street that houses the council chambers and an administrative wing. An appropriate, meaningful and durable palette of exterior and interior finishes was selected, including reclaimed brick cladding and reclaimed wood from an abandoned ammunition plant near town.

Impact + Innovation

In 2007, Greensburg’s City Council became the first city in the country to adopt a resolution that all city projects would be built to LEED Platinum standards and would exceed the baseline code for energy efficiency by 42%. Greensburg’s City Hall is the first LEED Platinum City Hall building in the U.S. and serves as the symbol of the town’s vitality and leadership in becoming a model sustainable community where social, environmental and economic concerns are held in balance. The building harnesses solar energy, collects and harvests stormwater for reuse on-site, and maximizes interior daylighting. Located prominently in the center of town along Main Street, the building is within walking distance to shops, amenities and many residences, strengthening the connection between the government and the townspeople.

Process

The Greensburg rebuilding process is a successful example of how sustainable planning ensures sustainable community development. The public involvement process emerged as one of the most important factors that led to a unified community vision and goals, high performance design, and successful implementation. Over 300 people gathered under a large tent raised on the east edge of town, eager to share their ideas for rebuilding. The tent remained a community gathering space throughout the recovery process, hosting several design workshops and community meetings. Integrating a high level of collaboration with the entire community, including City officials, City staff, Steering Committee members, and other stakeholders, the planning and design process for Greensburg moved beyond disaster recovery. The sustainable comprehensive plan recommendations followed a triple-bottom-line philosophy that focused on balancing the city’s social, environmental, and economic needs.

Sustainability

Well-insulated and air-sealed walls and roof
High performance windows
4.8-kW photovoltaic system on the roof
High-efficiency ground-source heat pumps
Humidity sensors allow heat pumps to slow fan speeds and provide dehumidification
Incorporates daylighting and lighting controls.

Including renewable energy generation, the Greensburg City Hall achieved a utility-supplied annual EUI of 41.4 kBtu/ft2 /year, which is a 65% annual energy savings compared to a typical existing city hall. The total energy use was within 1% of the energy model predictions. The on-site renewable energy sources provide 11% of the building’s total energy consumption.

Full NREL Report

People

Team

Craig Scranton
James Pfeiffer
Hans Nettelblad
Sam De Jong
Sarah Hirsch
Jean Dodd
Brian Rock
Edward Krygiel
Gary Jarvis
Aaron Ross
Spencer Davison
Sebren Ryan Camp

Client

City of Greensburg, Kansas

Wow! This is an Honor Award winner. This project makes great references to Aalto. A beautiful assembly space. This is a clear Honor Award. The diagrams clearly explain the development of the roof/porch. I really appreciate the storytelling in the graphics. The project exhibits civic pride, but in a humble sort of way.

2011 AIA Kansas Awards, Jury Comments

We think of traditional city halls having to be made of brick. It seems that tradition still exists. The modernist building introduced an unpredictable approach with a multifaceted roof design. The combination of brick perimeter walls and sculptured roof results in a stunning composition, a thoughtful civic symbol of rebirth beautifully executed. The roof- a piece of sculpture that lets natural light into the building- is also the front porch, combining old and new ideas into one great building.

2013 AIA Central States Awards, Jury Comment