The Blacksburg Motor Company building was restored using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) principals, and the project team considered sustainability in every design and construction decision. As a result, the town has achieved a Platinum LEED certification (26kb pdf), the highest level achievable.

The building serves as the new home to the Town of Blacksburg Planning and Building, and Engineering and GIS departments. In addition, the site and structure illustrate green building and low impact development techniques throughout.

Features of the LEED renovation include a geothermal heat pump, where the constant temperature of the earth reduces heating and cooling energy use; carpet made of 77% recycled material including reclaimed carpet; refurbished original tin ceilings; motion sensor lighting; and environmental site design including rain gardens, porous concrete, and native landscaping. Lastly, the building is served by Blacksburg Transit, the Smart Way bus, and a network of sidewalks and trails encouraging alternative forms of transportation.

The building has been listed as historically significant, and the construction was designed to comply with national standards for historic renovation projects. This enabled the project to receive a significant level of funding through state and federal historic tax credits.

• Watch a video documenting the historic significance of the Blacksburg Motor Company.
• History of the Blacksburg Motor Company pt 1
• History of the Blacksburg Motor Company pt 2
• Watch a time lapse video of the renovation up to this point.
• View the Green Cleaning Plan (795kb pdf)
• View the project exhibits (pdf)
  • Overview (956kb pdf)
  • Historic (1.08mb pdf)
  • Leed Elements (2.63mb pdf)
  • Site Design (670kb pdf)
  • Geothermal Heat Pump (956kb pdf)
  •  

Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.
They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.

Acrobat Reader Windows Media Player Word Viewer Excel Viewer PowerPoint Viewer