The Cedar River Complex in Osage, IA has obtained LEED certification status, according to building architects Bergland + Cram. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an industry wide standard for verifying sustainable building criteria established by the United States Green Building Council.
“The CRC has been a huge investment for our community,” says Osage Mayor Steve Cooper. “The LEED certification shows our commitment in providing an energy efficient level of operation that should help sustain this facility for many years.”
The 67,500 square foot building houses a wellness and aquatic center, museum, and community auditorium. Adjacent to Osage City Park and Osage High School, the Complex was built to maintain open green space throughout 75% of the site with minimum new parking added. Per LEED requirements, high recycled content building materials are used and extra effort was made to obtain these materials within a 500 mile radius.
Geothermal heating and cooling is used throughout the building, including to heat the pool. Large expanses of glass daylight the spaces and create views to the outside for users. An exception to this is the museum, which requires a controlled environment.
“Osage has a long history of energy conservation and this is just the latest attempt of staying in the lead,” Cooper states. “We take great pride in having a fine facility like the CRC and meeting the requirements of LEED just adds to the prominence that this facility offers to the public.”
