Go Green: Bridge Square Project

The former Josh Lofton Academy is now called Bridge Square.It's the classic example of an old building, starting a new life.

The inside of Bridge Square looks nothing like the school it used to be.

It's now a combination office space and apartments, and the green thinking started at the demolition stage.  ""Right from the beginning we donated,  I think almost 10-20 thousand dollars worth of goods to open door mission, local not for profit schools and a lot of that stuff instead of going into waste stream went to usable goods at other locations," says Peter Wehner, Senior Project Architect with Passero Associates. 

Passero associates designed the building and is the main tenant. When planning for the project began more than two years ago, they knew they wanted to keep the environment in mind.

"As architects and engineers we are dedicated to building environmentally sensitive project.

We right from the beginning wanted to implement all the green designs we felt fit in building," says Wehner.   

Some of the key features include a living wall. Much of the wood flooring and beams are also recycled.  Lighting is also carefully controlled through sensors. "All of our accent lighting is all led lighting.  So a lot of these bulbs you might see as a 75 watt bulb are actually really about a 7 watt bulb," says Wehner. 

The green features continue in the 24 apartments that are upstairs. They have soy based insulation in the walls and the windows are double paned to help with energy efficiency.  17 of the apartments have already been rented and there is still room for two more commercial tenants on the first floor.  They are looking for someone who wants to share in all the benefits a green building can give. 

"It's inherent in our business now that we use and specify materials that are in essence green," says Wehner.