Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic

Chandler is about to join the “green” building trend and get what appears to be the city’s first officially green office building: a two-story structure as part of Chandler Piazza, an 18-acre mixed-use project that is to include a hotel, retail and restaurants on the southeastern corner of Frye and Ellis roads.

“Green” buildings are energy efficient, environmentally friendly and healthful for the occupants.

The office building will have solar panels generating enough energy that the owner will sell power back to Salt River Project, according to the design firm, RSP Architects of Tempe.

“The building will have a reflective foam roof, so instead of absorbing heat, it will reflect sunlight,” said Shane Lucero, project manager with RSP.

Lucero said the architects will attempt to get the building a LEED certification from the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council.

LEED is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Chandler is building two other structures that are environmentally friendly, but they’re not going for LEED certification because of the expense and paperwork involved, said city spokesman Dave Bigos.

The city buildings are a police substation and an environmental education center at Veterans Oasis Park at Chandler Heights and Lindsay roads.

There are benefits, however, to going for LEED certification, said Andrea Norman, spokeswoman for RSP Architects.

The Green Building Council ensures that a standard is met.

“Some building owners receive a premium for the certification through rents and leasability,” she said.

Certifications have increased in the past few years. In 2002, the council had 36 certified projects in the nation.

By this year, that number had risen to 579.

Eighty-four projects in Arizona are registered with the council.

Charles Redman, director of the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, said people are seeing sustainability in a positive way.

“It’s not what they have to give up in order to live sustainably, but how can they live better by living sustainably.”

ASU has decreed that all new campus buildings will be LEED certified, he said.

“These buildings are just better places to be in,” Redman said. “They use materials that are new and effective in our hot environment. . . . They have very exciting spaces because one of the key elements is use of natural light.”

The developer of the Chandler project is Momentum Commercial Real Estate of Scottsdale.