Exterior view of the Mutual Building after the rehabilitation and interior view of the new atrium created between two rear wings of the historic building.
Historic preservation and sustainable design are two sides of the same coin. As demonstrated by the rehabilitation of the Mutual Building in Lansing, Michigan, popular green rating systems, such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) can easily be paired with the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credits. This 1928 former insurance company headquarters was rehabilitated for continued office use.
LEED nutrition label
While maintaining significant historic materials and spaces, deteriorated secondary spaces were adapted to create an under-floor air plenum above an existing concrete floor to provide efficient and flexible air delivery. This system contributes to an expected 35% improvement in energy performance over the baseline. Many preservation aspects of the project also earned points under the LEED system. Some of these include: retention and reuse of the building, maintaining fenestration patterns to provide natural daylight to occupants, and reuse of historic interior features.
