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Lane County officials saw an expansion opportunity in an unremarkable parking garage in Eugene, and now that facility is undergoing a unique transformation into sustainable office space.

The project team 鈥� , and Lane County 鈥� at first targeted a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver rating, though it now may settle for basic LEED certification for the future home of the county’s Public Works Customer Service Center.

The 30,000-square-foot building at 3050 N. Delta Road was built in the early 1970s to accommodate a communications company’s trucks. After storing heavy equipment for more than 30 years, the building has presented several environmental and design challenges.

鈥淲e went through a lot of efforts to figure out ways to make what was basically a low, squat, flat building into a place that’s agreeable to people,鈥� said Toby Barwood, principal in charge at PIVOT.

The original floor was sloped so that petroleum and other chemicals dripping from trucks would trickle down to a drainage system. While the tilted concrete floor obviously had to go, the solution was not immediately evident.

鈥淗eavy equipment had parked on it for years and there was no way to really seal it with all of those leakages,鈥� said Tanya Heaton, administrative services manager for Lane County Public Works, and project manager for the renovation. 鈥淲e didn’t really know what all had poured onto that cement.鈥�

The project team devised a plan to build a raised floor system, which would have allowed installation of mechanical systems in the interstitial space. An under-floor air distribution system could have helped the project earn some LEED points, but ultimately the expense didn’t make financial sense.

鈥淲e were up at about $7 million in costs,鈥� said Dave Suchart, director of management services for the county. 鈥淏ut it was a CM/GC project, so we all met and met and met until we got the numbers to come within our budget.鈥�

The final construction budget is approximately $4.6 million.

鈥淭he program was put on a diet,鈥� Barwood said. 鈥淎ll of the original program elements brought value, but we had to look at which systems were not bringing value to the project that was equal to its cost.鈥�

Instead of building a raised floor, the team decided to demolish the fuel-impregnated concrete and pour a new slab.

Half of the existing building will remain warehouse space. The county is planning to use the space for vehicle storage unless it encounters a need for further expansion in the future, so the costs to insulate that space or make any other changes did not ultimately make sense.

The facility will house land management administration, planning, surveying and parks departments, making it easier for Lane County residents to access several services at one site. The county already houses several other offices in a complex nearby, which led officials to purchase the parking garage when it became available approximately 10 years ago, according to Heaton.

Even though the project team may not meet its original LEED silver goal, the new center will include rain gardens, photovoltaic panels and a great deal of daylighting.

鈥淲e’re doing our standard construction points like waste stream mitigation, and we’re also using certified lumber and reusing lots of materials,鈥� said Rob Braziel, project manager for Chambers Construction.

Crews are installing drywall and starting to paint the interior. They are expecting to be substantially done in April, Braziel said.