Group Sets Benchmark With LEED Certification

Founded in 1978 as an electrical engineering firm, Benchmark Group has grown into a commercial building design consultant with national reach. Opened in July 2008, the firm’s four-story, 120,000-SF headquarters in east Rogers is worthy of its forward-thinking ideas and capable of serving as a sustainability showcase.

By the time its new HQ came online, Benchmark Group was occupying seven different buildings. Today the firm occupies twice the space in one building while using 33 percent less energy, helping explain its Silver LEED certification.

“One of our goals was to do a building our clients would feel comfortable pursuing,” said Tim Duffy, the firm’s program manager.

Benchmark exudes a common-sense approach to sustainability that shuns difficult-to-recoup efforts. John Roberts, director of architecture and marketing, predicts similar energy saving efforts will someday make their way into various building codes.

The company maximized its opportunities by salvaging 50 percent of surrounding green space, recycling 73 percent of construction waste, and developing a framework in which more than 40 percent of the building materials are recycled content.

Excess soil was used to create a berm, reducing the edifice’s visual impact on neighbors, and a detention pond was built to reduce rainwater runoff. Benchmark offers 33 high-efficiency and carpool parking places, 20-plus slots for bicycles, and an exterior lighting system that reduces light pollution.

Additionally, a flexible work schedule is offered, which cuts back on traffic delays and makes for more efficient commutes.

Inside, sensors searching for activity slice energy costs by turning off the lights if movement is lacking. Waterless urinals save an average of 40,000 gallons of water per unit per year. 

Even excess cotton from the denim industry was reused as exterior wall insulation. “That’s what sustainability is all about,” said marketing assistant Doug Siemens. “It makes a big impact.”

Today there are 21 LEED Accredited Professionals among the company’s nearly 400-person staff. Benchmark reps say they are proud for choosing a system others can imagine replicating.

“[Recycling] is a priority for our clients, and therefore it’s a priority for us,” Roberts said. “When LEED became a buzzword in the industry, we decided it was something we needed to be involved in.”