Outdoor Chattanooga building to open in fall

Chattanooga’s first city-owned facility with a U.S. Green Building Council designation for environmentally friendly design, construction and usage is expected to open this fall as the new headquarters for Outdoor Chattanooga.

Philip Grymes, executive director of Outdoor Chattanooga, said the building — next to Coolidge Park — will include a “green” roof covered in grass to help with building insulation. The roof also will have a cistern to catch rainwater that will be used for toilet flushing, he said.

Renovation of the 6,000-square-foot building, which used to house River Interiors & Floorcovering, Inc., will cost about $942,000, a figure that includes construction costs, contingency funding and an architect’s fee, said Paul Page, the city’s director of general services.

Work started this week on the project, and Mr. Grymes said he expects to unveil the building in a mid-October grand opening.

Besides the green features related to certification in the Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, the building also has a great location in a parking lot adjacent to Coolidge Park, he said.

“We’re going to be … almost at the entrance to the park,” he said.

The new location will be easier to find than Outdoor Chattanooga’s current space at the Development Resource Center on Market Street, he said.

Outdoor Chattanooga helps promote the city’s and region’s outdoor recreation options, natural resources and adventure sports amenities.

For achieving LEED certification with the building, Mr. Page said, the city is expected to receive a $95,000 incentive from greenspaces, a local initiative that works to get LEED-certified buildings in the downtown area.

Jeff Cannon, director of greenspaces, said the renovated building is “the most natural fit to pursue LEED certification,” given that it will house an organization that promotes the outdoors.

Another green feature will be the building’s high-efficiency heating, ventilating and air conditioning units, Mr. Cannon said. LEED-certified buildings have lower utility expenses and generally are more environmentally sustainable, he said.

Greenspaces incentives are funded by the Lyndhurst Foundation, Mr. Cannon said.