GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Transforming the once decaying old federal building into a renovated, energy-efficient structure was a daunting task – even for Ryan Idema, an engineer who’s spent his career infusing buildings with a sustainable design.
Idema, a mechanical engineer with TowerPinkster, a Grand Rapids-based architecture and engineering firm, was among those who were crucial in helping the building – now the latest campus of Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design – earn an important distinction: LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
“It’s one of the most challenging projects I’ve worked on so far,” Idema said. “The results were awesome.”
Ferris will officially be awarded the certification Wednesday, Dec. 12, at a ceremony at the old federal building. It will cap off a years long effort to not only restore the building but to do so in a way that emphasized the principles of sustainability.
The university was required to meet LEED certification for the project. But what level of LEED it desired to reach was up to administrators. LEED Gold is the second highest ranking.
By Brian McVicar | bmcvicar@mlive.com
