GRAND RAPIDS, MI Wolverine Building Group announces their Gateway Village project in Sturgis, Michigan, was recently granted two awardsGovernor's Energy Excellence Award and The Michigan Battle of the Buildings Award.

Gateway Village was a multimillion-dollar rehabilitation project of an existing, 1970s-era affordable housing complex. Hollander Development Corporation (HDC) hired Wolverine Building Group and InForm Architecture to make much-needed cosmetic and convenience updates, but to also take a holistic approach to energy and water conservation. 

The project included a before-and-after Home Energy Rating System (HERS) analysis; full conversion to LED lighting; improvements to the building envelope (insulation, windows, doors, etc.); upgrades to HVAC systems; new appliances; and resident education. HDC, Wolverine Building Group, and InForm Architecture collectively committed to certify Gateway Village to Enterprise Green Communitiestargeted 30-plus additional points beyond the mandatory criteria, which won them The Michigan Battle of the Buildings Award and most recently the Governor's Energy Excellence Award.

Eight individuals and organizations from across Michigan were recognized at the Governor's Energy Excellence Award (GEEA) for their extraordinary efforts to reduce energy waste. The winners were announced by Gov. Rick Snyder and honored at a ceremony in Detroit, Michigan. The Gateway Village project was awarded for the category of Best Commercial Project (Private).

The Michigan Battle of the Buildings is an awards and recognition program for energy use reduction open to all Michigan area commercial, industrial & multi-family buildings. The program is a way to encourage energy-efficient practices in buildings across the state and to instill a spirit of friendly competition among the area's building owners and operators.