MrsGreenThumb

I am a lover of horticulture, gardening and the environment. At age 8, I sent away for a package of Zinnia seeds for 10 cents and I've been hooked ever since. After 25 years of being self-employed, I retired. That only lasted 4 years and I now work in a water conservation program: I buy grass from homeowners who are willing to convert to desert landscaping and lose that thirsty green stuff. I pursue what interests me and you can blame my sister for getting me into this blogging thing.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

I'm So Excited

This is the new building our offices are moving to in a couple of weeks. It's a "green" building. It uses many recycled materials such as old blue jeans for insulation, 97% recycled steel and crushed glass counter tops. Our office will be on the 10th floor, we'll have great views of the mountains. The design maximizes natural light and adds diffused light bounced off the ceiling to reduce glare. We'll have indoor parking which will be wonderful in the summer. Your car can be an oven at the end of a workday from sitting in the sun all day in Las Vegas.

Molasky Corporate Center in downtown Las Vegas is 1 of only 200 buildings worldwide to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified as of June 2007. What's that, I asked myself? From my reading, it has to do with design. The most important way for this building to be certified is through its under-the-floor air distribution. Instead of bringing in air from the ceiling at 55 degrees and having it mingle with bad air, it comes in from the floor at 63 degrees and is fresher and cleaner. It will mean a healthier work environment for those of us who will be using this building.

There will be photovoltaic cells on the roof to create electricity. I've read that the cooling tower will capture 30,000 gallons of water a day to water the landscaping around the building and on the patio. The building is state of the art using low water use toilets, low maintenance materials, natural materials that don't emit gases and renewable resources such as bamboo cabinets. There will be great amenities and services such as a 24 hour fitness center and a deli on the lower floors, which will also have retail stores. The upper floors will be offices.

Above the 6 story parking garage, on the 7th floor will be a really cool patio with planters, seating and an oversized chess set. The main lobby for the organization I work for is on the 7th floor. We saw some snapshots of it the other day and I was impressed.

I have to compliment the developers who were willing to spend a lot more than office space typically costs to bring this first class building to Las Vegas. I work in conservation because I think its the right thing to do. I believe this building was constructed in that spirit and I'm feeling good about being among the first to work in the building.