Workers lay reinforced concrete pipe from County Materials as part of the grid that will help naturally heat and cool the Aldo Leopold Legacy center in Baraboo

BARABOO, Wis (Aug. 11, 2006) – Aldo Leopold would be proud. The name of the late environmentalist who often is dubbed the father of American conservation will grace the exterior of the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, which could become one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the country after it opens this fall.

Download the PDF featuring the "Earth Tubes"

This “ green” 12,000-square-foot office-and-meeting facility is being built toward the goal of a Platinum certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® and the LEED Green Building Rating System™ , the highest – most efficient – level a building can attain. Just 15 facilities in the United States have met this standard.

The Leopold center will feature, among other innovations, reinforced concrete pipe from County Materials as “ earth tubes” that will help heat and cool the facility with naturally warmed and cooled air. These tubes – a grid of approximately 600 feet of 24-inch diameter pipe – will be buried 8 feet deep, where the surrounding earth will help the air within maintain a steady temperature in the mid 50-degree range.

 

A grid of reinforced concrete pipe from County Materials waits to be buried at the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center in Baraboo. The pipe which will serve as a conduit to help heat and cool the building, will rest beneath 8 feet of cover to allow the ground to naturally keep the air at a consistent temperature.

“ We definitely don’ t want water coming in, so County Materials’ pipe came highly recommended,” said Louie Meister, owner of LMS Construction, a Pardeeville-based contractor who will install the pipe. “ With energy costs being what they are today, a lot of large companies are trying to find ways to keep their costs down. So there’ s a lot of interest in this.”

County Materials also supplied custom air intake manholes, 90-degree bends and T-beams for the project, which is scheduled to open this fall.

County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.

For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.