FORT COLLINS, CO The new Block 32 Utilities Administration Building in Fort Collins is officially open for business. Participating in the grand opening ceremony were general contractor Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP); the design team, RNL Design and local Fort Collins, Colorado, architecture firm, AU Workshop, LLC; the city staff and many from the surrounding community. This phase 1 of the Block 32 project in Old Town Fort Collins represents the beginning of the city's plan to redevelop its municipal services complex and create a more welcoming civic center.

The new, three-story, 37,500-square-foot municipal office building was designed to be one of the most energy efficient buildings in the state. Targeting LEED Platinum, the Utilities Administration Building will be the first city of Fort Collins building built to achieve a LEED v4 Platinum rating. More than 95 percent of the construction waste was diverted from landfills and 90 percent of occupied spaces have daylighting and views.

"Together with our partners, we are proud to be presenting Fort Collins with this building. It has been a pleasure working with the design firm, the staff, and the community. We are excited to celebrate with you," said Doug Johnson, Vice President of AP.

The city's Arts in Public Places program was used to place several pieces of art created from local artists in and throughout the building. These include a sculpture of the Poudre River as part of the entryway column, stained glass found in both the east and west stairwells of the building and Colorado's first outdoor perennial living wall. Specially designed walls on the ramps and steps at the front of the building represent the different departments for the city - light/power, water, etc.

"This project helped define the masterplan for the City of Fort Collins for an integrated city campus," said Kevin Gertig, Executive Director of Fort Collins Utilities. "We are very excited about the men and women that made this city great. This building will go on for a legacy in terms of serving our customers and providing a mechanism for our employees to brainstorm and collaborate and work together. Many, many great things will come out of this building for the future of our great city."