Apr. 25--When Great River Energy CEO Michael Finley calls the company's future headquarters "a showcase," he's not just talking about the building's sleek style and setting on the south shore of Arbor Lake in Maple Grove.

Great River's goal is to have the building set a standard in Minnesota for energy efficiency and environmentally conscious design. The initial cost of $42 million is about 5 percent higher than a similar-size headquarters not including extra steps to be eco-friendly, Finley said. "But we feel our project is competitive because of the paybacks we'll be getting" in energy savings and improved worker productivity, he said. Great River has its sights on having the project earn the top rating from the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program.

The ranking, called platinum certification, is held by onl 17 buildings nationwide. While Great River's quest for the platinum designation may be unusual, its interest in environmentally responsible development is not. More companies want their buildings to meet LEED standards, which have become the national benchmark for green constru tion and design. Established in 2000, the LEED system rates buildings in a variety of areas, including water and energy conservation, use of recycled or environmentally friendly materials and indoor quality. The rankings also give points to projects built near transit l nes or on sites cleared of pollution.

A building's point total determines its level of certification -- bronze, silver, gold or platinum. Last year Costar, a nationwide database of almost 2 million commercial properties, began highlighting LEED buildings in its listings for potential buyers and tenants. "LEED is something that is very measurable. It's easy for clients to understand," said Doug Pierce, senior associate at Perkins + Will of Minneapolis, architects of the Great River project. The rating system offers a consistent set of standards for gree construction and design, he said. The number of LEED-certfied buildings nationwide has jumped from 38 in 2002 to 800 so far this year, according to the council, based in Washington, D.C.

Minnesota has only four certified projects, but the number of Minnesota developments seeking certifi ation has spurted to more than 60. The list includes facilities for some of the state's biggest companies. Besides Great River, Minnesota's second-largest electric utility, others include Boston Scientific Corp., Ecolab Inc. and Polaris Industries. Excelsior Crossings, a 700,000-square-f ot office complex in Hopkins that Cargill Inc. will anchor, also plans to register for LEED status. Pierce said LEED has become a marketing tool. Finley said Perkins + Will's experience with LEED was a major reason it was chosen from a field of 15 architecture firms for the Great River project.

The same was true for the general contractor, St. Paul-based McGough Companies; its other LEED work in innesota includes Ecolab's Eagan offices, Karges Faulconbridge Inc. in St. Paul and the Bloomington Central Station mixed-use development. State's standards are high One reason LEED may have taken longer to catch on in Minnesota is that the state long has had its own set of similar sustainable building guidelines, said Ken Potts, who oversees green development for McGough. Buildings that receive state funding are re uired to meet those standards. Pierce and others say more clients are asking about LEED.

Some cities have begun providing incentives, such as quicker approvals of projects that register for LEED certification, Pierce and Potts said. Earlier this year, Compellent Technologies Inc. moved its headquarters to a new 56,000-square-foot building in Eden Prairie with features that include waterless urinals and highly energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment with special filters. CEO hil Soran said his company chose the building partly because it incorporated LEED standards. "[The rent] is slightly higher, but I believe we'll recover that in lower utility costs. Plus, we think it's going to be healthier," he said.

Materials included low-emission paints and adhesives. Liberty Property Trust of Philadelphia developed the buil ing, which is expected to be LEED-certified in June, said Rick Weiblen, vice president of development. The Compellent building, first developed as a speculative multitenant property, was Liberty's first LEED project in the Twin Cities area, Weiblen said. Liberty has plans for more, including an office facility to be built in Eden Prairie on part of Best uy's former corporate campus. A two-year effort Great River's quest for top LEED status began more than two years ago when it started looking for a site because it had outgrown its headquarters in Elk River.

It chose the 12.5-acre site on Arbor Lake partly because it could accommodate a building with a long east-west axis, with windows at the ends kept to a minimum to reduce glare and unwanted heat. The lake will be used for a geothermal heating and cooling system to conserve energy and improve indoor air quality. Windows along the north and south sides and an enclosed atrium in the center will spread daylight throughout the building's four floors. Daylight sensors will automatically reduce artificial light, cutting the amount of energy used to cool the building as a result of excessive lighting. Besides the lake, up to 15 percent of the building's energy will be produced by on-site sources, including a wind turbine and solar energy-collecting cells on the roof.

Rainwater will be collected and used to irrigate grounds and flush toilets, saving a estimated 3 million gallons a year. Not far from Great River's new home, Boston Scientific has begun work to expand a two-year-old LEED-certified office and research facility that is part of its Weaver Lake campus. The 110,000-square-foot addition, which the company officially announced T esday, will have many of the same energy-saving features as the original building, including waterless urinals and daylight sensors. The company has contracted with Xcel to buy wind-generated power for 30 percent of the facility's energy needs.

Terrance Brick, vice president of operations, attributes about 1 percent of the building's cost to LEED-related features. The costs should be recouped in about five years, he said. Great River is hoping to burnish its image, too. "As an electric utility we've encouraged people for years to be as energy-efficient as possible, telling them it makes good business sense," spokesman Randy Fordice said. "Now we're putting our money where our mouth is." Susan Feyder -- 612-673-1723 -- sfeyder@startribune.com