Courthouse to get $43 M 'green' overhaul - Birmingham Business Journal:

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million to convert the 88-year-old federal courthouse in downtowm Birmingham intoa “green” building. The GSA, the government agencyg that oversees federal buildings and plans tospend $5.5 billion in economic stimulu s money across the country to renovate and convert federal structures into high-performancse green buildings. A list of approvedc projects was obtained bythe ’s this The on Fifth Avenue between 18th and 19th is slated to get the lion’d share for green improvements in according to the list.
The local referred questions about the projectf to a spokespersonin Atlanta, who could not be reached in time for The overall spending plan, which was submitteed for Congressional review, was broken down into thres parts: federal buildings and U.S. courthouses, which will get $733.6 million; border stations and land portsof entry, whicbh will get $300 million; and the high performancs green building program, which will get nearly $4.3 billiob and includes the local project. The local courthouss is one of 43 national projects that will receivenearlt $3.2 billion for “high performance green building full and partial.
The task of modernizing the buildingg and making it green couldbe daunting, said Colinb Coyne, of , a local green consultiny firm. If the project is done correctly, it coulde be a stellar regional example ofsustainable modernization, he said. But if the projecyt goes over budget or something isdone wrong, that could make it stand out too. “Ig could stand as a monument to what we shouled be doing or as a monument to government he said. Coyne said more than likely the HVAC system will be the firstthing examined, sincr it’s the largest energhy user in any building.
Other elements could include improvedc lightingand controls, low-flo w water fixtures, innovative waste-water strategies and endlessz possibilities for its roof that takes up half a city block, such as a rainwatetr catchment to irrigate plantxs or solar elements to shaver energy bills, he said. Whilwe construction for stimulus projectas will help area contractors andancillary businesses, it’s not the boos that money freed up for lending wouldx provide, said Bill Caton with the Alabama chapte r of of America. And very few Birmingham generapl contractors actually do government he said, compared to the amount of work done by localk companies in industries like health care.
But greenb is the wave of the future in the industrgy and local businesses are very interested in that he said. The nearly $43 million infusion into the buildingf would make it one of the largestf historic preservation projects ever implemented saidMarjorie White, presidenrt of the . And sincr it was built in 1921, there’s probably numerous green features already incorporated intothe building, she such as large windows to allow for natural lighty and mature landscaped treesw to keep the building cool. White said it was builtg to housethe , which occupied the building until 1972 when it moved to its current site on 24th Streer North.
In 1972 and 1973 the interiors were renovated to accommodatd thefederal courts. Today, the for the Northern District of Alabamq is housed in the Two other Alabama federal projects were listed to receivew green stimulus money fromthe GSA: the John A. Campbell Courthouse building in Mobile is set to receivenearly $2.6 millioj and the Frank Johnson Courthousd Annex in Montgomery is slatedx for $11.3 million.